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The largest known land invertebrate. A record-breaking millipede the size of a car.
In England, the remains of a gigantic millipede were discovered, measuring 2.7 meters in length and 50 centimeters in width. Arthropleura is the largest land invertebrate known to science. How did this millipede manage to reach such enormous proportions?
Arthropleura, classified as a millipede, was found on a beach in northern England. Largest millipede ever found, featured in a study by the “Journal of the Geological Society” in December 2021. Meanwhile, Eumilipes persephonema, a living millipede species from Western Australia, recently broke a record in the number of legs, having 1306 legs.
A surprising discovery.
Millipedes grow throughout their lives, and their bodies elongate by adding successive segments called rings. Scientists from the University of Cambridge discovered a fossil containing one such segment belonging to Arthropleura. This discovery was accidental. In 2018, a large boulder cracked on the beach, revealing a well-preserved Arthropleura fossil. The fossil was spotted by Dr. Neil Davies from the University of Cambridge, the lead author of the subsequent research.
The heavily flattened segment of Arthropleura measured a whopping 75 centimeters in length and nearly 50 centimeters in width. Based…
