Megarachne

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Megarachne servinei Fossil range: Pennsylvanian
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Eurypterida Order: Incertae sedis Family: Incertae sedis Genus: Megarachne Species: M. servinei
Binomial name
Megarachne servinei

Megarachne servinei was a small Upper Carboniferous (= Pennsylvanian) eurypterid found near Córdoba, Argentina. At first its fossils were thought in error to be a giant spider, the biggest spider that ever existed; that caused serious error in scripting the CGI television series Walking with Monsters. The series was already in production when Megarachne's true identity was discovered in 2004, and it was too late to correct the error. The creature was called "Mesothelae" instead, which is actualy the name of a suborder of spiders. Its leg span was 20 inches.

[edit] External links

• The Dinosaurs Of The Spider World: In Search Of Megarachne Servinei
• Re: Megarachne a eurypterid, not a spider
• Was Megarachne the world's largest spider? New information on fossilised South American giant
• Spider as big as a dog didn't exist
• Megarachne servinei (with image of cast of the fossil)