Eurypterus
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Eurypterus Temporal range: Silurian period |
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| Artist's reconstruction of Eurypterus in life. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Merostomata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Superfamily: | †Eurypteroidea |
| Family: | †Eurypteridae |
| Genus: |
†Eurypterus De Kay, 1825 |
| Type species | |
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Eurypterus remipes De Kay, 1825 |
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| Species | |
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See text |
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| Collection sites of Eurypterus fossils. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Baltoeurypterus Størmer, 1973 |
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See text
Baltoeurypterus Størmer, 1973
Eurypterus (/juːˈrɪptərəs/ ew-RIP-tər-əs) is an extinct genus of sea scorpions. They existed during the Silurian Period, from around 432 to 418 million years ago.
There are fifteen species belonging to the genus Eurypterus, the most common of which is Eurypterus remipes, the first eurypterid fossil discovered and the state fossil of New York.
Members of Eurypterus averaged at about 5 to 9 in (13 to 23 cm) in length, but the largest individual discovered was 1.3 m (4.3 ft) long. They all possessed spine-bearing appendages and a large paddle they used for swimming. They were generalist species, equally likely to engage in predation or scavenging.
The first fossil of Eurypterus was found in 1818 by S. L. Mitchill, a fossil collector. It was recovered from the Bertie Formation of New York (near Westmoreland, Oneida County). Mitchill interpreted the appendages on the carapace as barbels arising from the mouth. He consequently identified the fossil as a catfish of the genus Silurus.
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