Gigantoscorpio Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia
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Phylum: | Arthropoda
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Subphylum: | Chelicerata
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Class: | Arachnida
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Order: | Scorpiones
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Family: | †Gigantoscorpionidae
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Genus: | †Gigantoscorpio Størmer, 1963[1]
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Species: | †G. willsi
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Binomial name | |
†Gigantoscorpio willsi Størmer, 1963[1]
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Gigantoscorpio willsi is an extinct species of scorpion[2][3] which lived between 345.0 million and 342.8 million years ago, during the Visean age of the Carboniferous.[4] Its type specimen is BMNH In. 42706a,b, In. 42707, which is a 3D body fossil of its exoskeleton found near modern-day United Kingdom.[5] It is thought to grew up to around 40 cm (16 in) long,[6] but later study estimated its total length about 24 cm (9.4 in). [7]