Scientists discover fossilized remains of prehistoric insect weighing 45 kilograms in France

As a result of a new study, scientists were able to study in detail the anatomy of a giant prehistoric creature called Arthropleurus, which existed about 340 million years ago. This arthropod was 2.5 meters long and weighed more than 45 kilograms.

Thanks to two well-preserved fossils found in a French coal mine in the 1980s, researchers were able to study the structure of the head of this mysterious creature for the first time. Using modern computed tomography techniques, scientists found that the arthropleuron's head was round with two bell-shaped antennae, bulging crab-like eyes, and a small mouth adapted to consume leaves and bark. This was reported by Metro.

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According to the study's co-author Michael Leriche, Arthropleura combined the body of a millipede with the head of a centipede. This creature, like modern arthropods, periodically shed its exoskeleton through a hole in its head.

Arthropleurids inhabited equatorial forests between 346 and 290 million years ago, at the end of the Paleozoic era. Paleobiologist James Lumsdell emphasizes the importance of this discovery, noting that scientists have long sought to study the structure of the creature's head, but were afraid of damaging delicate fossils using traditional research methods.

As a reminder, penguins and otters in the Japanese oceanarium went on a protest hunger strike.

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