SCIENTISTS have uncovered a terrifying mega millipede that was the size of a car when it roamed Earth 340 million years ago.
Following centuries of mystery, the face of Arthropleura has been unveiled – thanks to two well-preserved fossils.
The arthropod hid in forests near the equator between 346 and million and 290 million years ago during the late Paleozoic era.
Arthopleura could grow to a whopping 8.5 feet long and weigh over 45kg.
The mega millipede has left palaeontologists perplexed for decades.
The body of the creature had characteristics similar to a millipede, but experts had never before seen its head.
They therefore couldn’t work out its relationship to modern arthropods.
But now the head has been unearthed, with its round structure adorned with two short, bell-shaped antennae.
According to new research it also has two protruding eyes like crabs have today and a small mouth for scavenging leaves and bark.
Despite its massive size, the creature’s diet was likely just vegetation from the forests it lived in.
Like other arthropods, the Arthopleura would shed its exoskeleton through the head opening – but therefore left behind clues of its gigantic size but no indication of its facial structure.
Now, with more juvenile fossils found, experts have been able to study its head and find out more about the beast.
Arthopleura was an arthropod – a group that includes modern-day insects, crabs and spiders.
Study co-author Mickael Lheritier explained: “We discovered that it had the body of a millipede, but the head of a centipede.”
To model the head, researchers used advanced CT scanning techniques while also examining the fossils.
The fossils were taken back in the 1980s in a French coal field and were still embedded in rock.
The scans allowed the team to examine hidden details without causing any damage to the invaluable fossils.
Palebiologist James Lamsdell, who wasn’t involved in the study, said: “We’ve been wanting to see what the head of this animal looked like for a really long time.
“When you chip away at rock, you don’t know what part of a delicate fossil may have been lost or damaged.”
Despite the fossils only measuring around two inches long, the researchers believe they provide important insight into what the Arthropleura was like.
