Overview
- A peer‑reviewed team led by Richie Howard re‑examined century‑old specimens with CT scanning, near‑field optical microscopy and camera lucida tracings and concluded Praearcturus gigas is best interpreted as a scorpion.
- Authors estimate the animal reached about one metre in length with pincers roughly 16 centimetres long, making it among the largest scorpions known from the fossil record.
- The key anatomical match is an unusually long triangular sternum with a central groove, a feature shared with the well‑preserved Silurian scorpion Eramoscorpius and central to the reassignment.
- Researchers argue Praearcturus showed amphibious traits — such as lateral flap‑like epimera and occurrence in river sediments — and likely hunted both in water and on floodplains.
- Some specialists remain cautious because the available fossils lack definitive scorpion structures such as a tail sting and pectines, so the team calls for new fieldwork and database updates to test and refine the revision.