Scientists discover giant millipede the size of a car

Can you imagine seeing a giant millipede the same size as a car? Well, a massive creature just like this existed 340 million years ago.

As a result of two fossils being discovered, we now know what the Arthropleura's head looks like.

Beforehand, scientists could understand how big the creature's head was thanks to fossilized exoskeletons, but this didn't provide further details about the Arthropleura's facial structure.

So this find has finally solved the mystery connection between this arthropod and the arthropods we see today that had previously baffled experts.

The Arthropleura lived during the late Paleozoic era (around 346 million and 290 million years ago) in forests near the equator.

It is thought the Arthropleura lived on vegetationiStockphoto by Getty Images

Size-wise, the insect could grow up to a massive 8.5 feet long and weigh over 45kg, and while the arthropod has similar qualities to a millipede, recent findings show the head is actually more like a centipede's.

Alongside studying the fossils, advanced CT scanning techniques were also used by the team to model the creature's head.

Since the fossil findings, scientists have confirmed that the head is round and has two short, bell-shaped antennae while it also has crab-like protruding eyes and a small mouth.

The creature's head also had an opening where it would shed its exoskeleton.

Co-author of the study Mickael Lheritier explained how this latest discovery has enabled experts to learn more about the Arthropleura, saying: "We discovered that it had the body of a millipede, but the head of a centipede."

Meanwhile, the ancient two-inch-long fossils were taken in the 1980s in a French coal field so the CT scanning allowed the researchers to do their analysis without the risk of causing damage to them.

"We’ve been wanting to see what the head of this animal looked like for a really long time," palebiologist James Lamsdell, who did not take part in the study, said.

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