Arthropleura

prehistoric · giant arthropod · millipede · Carboniferous

Massive beyond belief. Arthropleura was at least 2 meters long, possibly longer than 2.5 meters, making it the largest land arthropod ever to exist. That is roughly the length of a grand piano.

Made giant tracks. Scientists found enormous trackways left behind by Arthropleura that were up to 50 centimeters wide, like following the footprints of a creature straight out of a dream.

Lived long ago. Arthropleura crawled across Earth between 344 and 292 million years ago during the Carboniferous and early Permian periods, when forests were different and the world was warmer.

Loved water and soil. These giant millipedes lived in open, sparsely wooded areas near water and may have been amphibious, meaning they could survive both on land and in water.

Left big burrows. Along with their trackways, Arthropleura may have dug large burrows in the soil where it could hide or rest, leaving traces that paleontologists discovered millions of years later.