The age of sea scorpions
Eurypterids reach their peak diversity, and some grow larger than any arthropod before or since.
- When
- Known to
- ± 5 million years
- Era
- Silurian, Paleozoic
The Silurian is the golden age of eurypterids, armoured chelicerate predators with paddle-like swimming limbs and grasping claws. The largest, Jaekelopterus, reached around two and a half metres — the biggest arthropod that has ever lived. They hunted fish and each other in shallow seas and lagoons, and their decline coincides with the rise of jawed vertebrates.