Reconstruction of the giant millipede Arthropleura, which lived in the Carboniferous period, 326 million years ago. Credit: Neil Davies
This story on phys.org tell the story about the discovery of a giant millipede, Arthropleura in Engand in January 2018.. The original story describing the 326 million year old millipede fossil appeared back in December 2021. The animal was about 2.7 meters long (nearly 9 feet!). It lived during the Carboniferous Period in what is now northern England. The fossil expands on the maximum size of arthropods but also extends the time range as this is the oldest Arthropleura currently known. At 326 million years old, it also pre-dates the rise in atmospheric oxygen, suggesting an alternate theory for its size - abundance of woody debris and/or the absence of competition from vertebrate predators.
The story of our discovery began when my colleagues and I rolled out the geological map of England and Wales and plotted a route that would take us through millions of years of Earth's history over two weeks, going back to 560 million years ago.
It meant a back and forth journey, looping 3,000km across the country, with the intent of stopping at coastal cliffs, roadcuts, abandoned quarries and mountainsides. The trip was primarily social, but we were keeping our eyes open for geological stories to explore further—we don't accept the sometimes whispered myth that the geology of Britain is "done" and there is no more left to discover.
One of our stops took us to a beach at Howick in Northumberland, about 40km south of the Scottish border.
After wandering south along the shore during the afternoon, we were heading back for the evening because dusk was settling in. Just before we clambered back up the cliff, one of my friends spotted a recently fallen block of sandstone. It had split down the middle, by chance revealing an enigmatic fossil on both sides of the broken rock—a 76cm long collection of 12-14 segments. We took as many photos and notes as possible and contacted a number of Carboniferous arthropod experts worldwide. They all confirmed it had to be Arthropleura.
