Megalograptus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Megalograptus Fossil range: Ordovician |
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Megalograptus (Greek for "big writing") is a four-foot long Ordovician eurypterid (sea scorpion), and was among the earliest known genera. It was named so because its first fossils were of its very spiny legs, which were mistaken for massive graptolites. It lived from 460 to 445 mya. Megalograptus preyed on fish, trilobites, other sea scorpions, and smaller orthocones, using the spines on their claws to feel for their prey hiding in the sand and mud. However, adult Cameroceras, alongside with the bigger sea scorpion species preyed on it instead. Megalograptus did not have a stinger, but may have curled its tail and sword-like telson forward as a threat pose, much like a scorpion.
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[edit] Species
- M. welchi
- M. ohioensis
[edit] Popular Culture
Megalograptus was featured in the Ordovician (the "seventh deadliest sea") episode of the BBC's Sea Monsters series, where they were imagined to have behaved similarly to horseshoe crabs, coming to shore to mate, lay eggs in the surf and sand, and minimize the risk of being attacked during a moult.
[edit] References
- Haines, Tim & Chambers, Paul. (2006)The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd.
