Buzz
Most people have a fear of spiders, but the common comfort is that spiders are just as afraid of you. There's nothing quite like the unsettling sensation of an invisible insect crawling across your skin or a centipede slipping out of your shoe.
But what if that centipede was three feet long? Hundreds of millions of years ago, terrifying creatures like these roamed the earth. Here are some of the most nightmarish prehistoric insects that once walked—or should I say crawled—across the planet.
10. Sea-Dwelling Squid-Shrimp
Anomalocaris canadensis resembled a bizarre fusion of squid and shrimp. Measuring three feet (1.0 m) in length, it had a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Fossils discovered in China reveal this enormous underwater arthropod that existed around 500 million years ago. It likely preyed on smaller crustaceans using its strange and lethal teeth, which looked like a giant serrated cigar cutter. Its powerful mandibles helped it capture larger prey.
9. Giant 'Crab'
At over two feet (60 cm) in length, Isotelus rex holds the title of the largest known trilobite species, scavenging the ocean floor during the Paleozoic Era nearly 500 million years ago. It closely resembled an enormous horseshoe crab, with a thick, armored shell, numerous body segments, and compound eyes. Isotelus rex and other trilobites were simple yet versatile creatures, surviving for around 300 million years.
8. Giant Dragonfly
While modern dragonflies may sound intimidating, their ancient relative, M. permiana, truly embodied the essence of a 'dragon.' Though not a true ancestor of today's dragonflies, they were closely linked to a species known as 'griffinflies'—and that's close enough! This giant insect was likely the largest ever to exist, with a wingspan that could surpass two feet (60 cm) and a body length of nearly 17 inches (40 cm). Its name was Meganeuropsis, and its massive size led scientists to believe it may have hunted creatures as large as frogs and squirrels. These prehistoric 'dragons' went extinct when Earth's atmosphere began to lose its high oxygen levels millions of years ago—thankfully for us.
7. Giant Snail
The largest living snail today is the giant African land snail, which can grow up to seven inches (18 cm) long with a shell diameter of three and a half inches (9 cm)—pretty big for a snail. However, the prehistoric C. giganteum was possibly the largest (if not the absolute largest) snail ever, reaching lengths of nearly two feet (60 cm). The name pretty much says it all. Paleontologists believe it thrived in the oceans that once covered France during the Eocene epoch about 50 million years ago—and we can only imagine the kind of chaos it could have caused for the 'Spongebobs' and 'Squidwards' of its time.
6. Colossal Sea Scorpion
Fossils of Jaekelopterus rhenaniae were first uncovered in Germany in 2007. This creature was a truly enormous sea scorpion, growing to a length of eight feet (2.4 m). Remarkably, one of its pincers alone was over 18 inches (46 cm) long. A scorpion the size of a crocodile was undoubtedly a fearsome predator; it ruled the oceans until the Permian extinction 250 million years ago.
5. Deadly Land Scorpion
Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis was another species of scorpion, this time dwelling on land. It is believed to have reached a length of over two feet (60 cm). It flourished during the Devonian period approximately 400 million years ago, likely feeding on smaller arthropods and insects, although its venomous sting could have been fatal to some larger animals.
4. 'Manipulator' Cockroach
Manipulator modificaputis was a small predatory cockroach from the Cretaceous period, possessing an array of features that made it appear like an insect hybrid. It likely hunted on the forest floor, mostly at night, around 97 million years ago. Though only about 1 cm in length, it was equipped with a triangular head, long legs, and specialized mouthparts, making it a formidable nocturnal predator. Fossils of this newly discovered species were found in amber from a mine in Noije Bum, northern Myanmar (Burma). It had a slim body resembling that of a modern crane fly, delicate wings, and grasped its prey using front legs covered with short, strong spines.
3. Even Larger Centipede
Arthropleura was a distant relative of centipedes and millipedes. It could grow to more than eight feet (2.4 m) long, with some individuals being several feet wide—imagine the sensation of one brushing against your leg. Despite being an invertebrate, its sheer size likely made it nearly invulnerable to predators, making it the largest invertebrate species ever discovered.
Arthropleura lived during the Carboniferous and early Permian periods, around 300 million years ago, across what is now North America and Scotland. Strangely, despite its immense size allowing it to prey on nearly anything, Arthropleura was completely herbivorous, as indicated by fossilized remnants of its stomach. There would have been no need for magic to scale this bug to fit into James’s giant peach.
2. Giant Clam
Platyceramus was not technically a bug, but its impressive length of ten feet (3 m) certainly makes up for that. P. platinus is one of the largest bivalves (clams, scallops) ever found. In comparison to the already enormous modern giant clam, P. platinus would have been over two-and-a-half times as wide and likely much heavier.
1. Gigantic Centipede
Euphoberia tracta resembled modern-day centipedes in both form and behavior, but it had the remarkable distinction of growing over three feet long. Fossil evidence of these creatures has been found across Europe and North America. While scientists are uncertain about its specific diet, it's worth noting that the modern giant centipede, which only reaches about ten inches (25 cm), is capable of preying on birds, snakes, and bats. Just imagine the kind of prey a three-foot-long version could hunt.
