Gigantoscorpio willsi

Gigantoscorpio willsi is an extinct species of scorpion which existed during the Mississippian epoch between 346.7 million and 330.9 million years ago. Its type specimen is BMNH In. 42706a,b, In. 42707, which is a 3D body fossil of its exoskeleton found near modern-day United Kingdom. It grew up to 3 ft long, almost 10 times bigger than the largest scorpion alive today.

Gigantoscorpio is a genus of scorpion known to have lived in Scotland during the Carboniferous period.‭ ‬Because the genus is known only from partial remains,‭ ‬full details about its size and body proportions are currently unavailable.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬the genus has been occasionally estimated to have been as much as ninety centimetres long,‭ ‬which would make it big,‭ ‬even for the Carboniferous.‭ ‬During this period many arthropods similar to todays in form grew substantially bigger,‭ ‬with the main theory to explain this being that the atmosphere had a much higher oxygen content during the Carboniferous which allowed these kinds of animals to grow bigger.‭ ‬Many types of animal were known,‭ ‬and one genus of scorpion called Pulmonoscorpius also lived in Scotland at the same approximate time as Gigantoscorpio,‭ ‬and Pulmonoscorpius is thought to‭ ‬have grown up to‭ ‬70‭ ‬centimetres in length‭ (‬head to tip of the telson‭)‬.