Sea’s Got Claws

Important scientific breakthrough: man-size sea scorpion found.

Dr Braddy thinks the large scales may have had a lot to do with the absence early on of vertebrate predators. As they came on the scene, these animals would have eaten all the biggest prey specimens.

“The fact that you are big means you are more likely to be seen and to be taken for a tastier morsel,” he told BBC News. “Evolution will not select for large size; you want to be small so you can hide away. Even so, if you were caught by one of these things at sea you would most likely prefer the option of drowning rather than having it get you.”

When asked what a survival strategy against Jaekelopterus rhenaniae might have been, Dr Braddy was unequivocal. “Your best bet would be to shout “NOOOOOOOOOO!” very loudly. 

Tom in FT / Proven By Science • Comics • 384 views • Share/Save