A team of researchers has found an ancient sea predator that measures nearly six feet in length. The giant sea scorpion is said to have existed some 467 billion years ago, long before the dinosaurs have been discovered.

The name of the creature is Pentecopterus decorahenis, which is named after a Trojan warship and is known to be one of the most aggressive marine predators during its time.

The geologists from the Iowa Geological Survey looked into 150 fossilized fragments from 30 individuals at the very minimum. The retrieval of the specimens were conducted 18 meters or 0.11 miles beneath the Upper Iowa river. The said river had to be closed on a temporary basis so that the experts can obtain the samples.

The researchers found that the creature is about five feet and seven inches long and possesses at least 12 claws originating from its head. When the researchers looked closely, they found that the specimens were not bones and that the creature is not actually a vertebrate. What the investigators found were unique pieces of exoskeleton that have been preserved well over the years. If the specimens were not preserved well as it had been, the researchers think that the bones could have shed over time.

The fossils collated were also able to provide the researchers an insight into the functions of the creature's body parts. For example, the limbs found in the extreme back part of the creature had a wide paddle. The joints seem to have been secured in place to limit the flexing actions of the animal. With this, the investigators think that the animal utilized the paddles either to dig or swim.

The other pairs of limbs appear to have been moved forward, signifying that these parts were not utilized to move, rather to hunt down preys. Another observation made was that the last three limbs toward the rear portion of the body are shorter compared to those situated in the front, suggesting that the animals may have used six legs for walking, instead of eight. Finally, the tail of the animal did not exhibit signs of stinging, unlike modern-day scorpions. The tail of the Pentecopterus, which is about half of the entire body, was mainly used to balance itself while swimming, according to the researchers.

"This is the first real big predator," says James Lamsdell, the study lead author from the Yale University. Swimming with it is not a good idea as there is something about bugs that when it grow to a particular size, it should not be permitted to grow any bigger, he adds.

While other large sea scorpions exist, those are bottom feeders unlike the newly discovered species that exhibit a long head with its powerful limbs coming out of it, signalling its predator prowess. "It was obviously a very aggressive animal," comments Lamsdell, and with the size of the early fish that were no longer than 12 inches and possessed no jaw, Pentecopterus decorahenis sure is no match for other sea creatures at that time.

Photo: Tim Evanson | Flickr