A magnificent new find has opened up new perspectives on the origin of arthropods. Paleontologists, while digging a fossil bed in the Appalachian part of the United States, uncovered the remains of an enormous, millipede-like creature called Arthropleura. This huge invertebrate of the Carboniferous period 300 million years ago lived on land and is considered one of the biggest known arthropods, reaching an impressive 2.6 meters or 8.5 feet in length.
This utterly astonishing fossil discovery expands our understanding of arthropod evolution. Arthropods are one of the most diverse groups of animals: they encompass a variety of invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, and crustaceans. So large and structured is this ancient Arthropleura, much larger than any living millipede, which offers new clues regarding the diversity of life in prehistoric times.
According to researchers, this new finding is that one that unveiled some of the physical features of Arthropleura yet unfamiliar to man, and it opened new perspectives for understanding the relationships through evolution between various arthropod groups, like millipedes (Diplopoda) and centipedes (Chilopoda), thus putting into question certain assumptions earlier made about their developments.
The discoverability of the specimen, in terms of size, was extremely impressive, but more importantly, the degree of preservation it had allowed for a quite detailed analysis of its body structure and finding an array of physical adaptations that enabled it to survive in these humid, oxygen-rich environments in the Carboniferous period. Adaptations include an armored exoskeleton, many jointed legs, and breathing organs specialized to assist in respiratory oxygen uptake at the very highly elevated levels present in the Earth’s atmosphere at that time.
Published in Science Advances, this research offers vital evidence that Arthropleura and similar species of ancient Earth played a central role in the ancient Earth ecosystem. Their presence would have organized the plant and animal communities, especially in such dense, swampy forests of Carboniferous times. Further, more knowledge on how arthropods evolve over millions of years will shed light on the study of biodiversity and species adaptation to changing conditions.
And yet, the discovery of Arthropleura reminds us that thousands of fossil beds dot the world’s landscape – yet to be tapped, that it still holds considerable, undiscovered potential for future species, known and unknown. With every new find that paleontologists make, the complicated puzzle of Earth’s evolutionary history is a little more complete.
