April 22, 2017

Slimonia acuminata fossil

An article published in the journal “The American Naturalist” describes a research on Slimonia acuminata, a species of sea scorpion that lived about 430 million years ago. According to Scott Persons and John Acorn, two scientists from the University of Alberta, this very ancient predator that could reach a length of about 40 centimeters (almost 16″) used its tail as a weapon to hit its prey.