Description
Double EURYPTERUS remipes. These animals are sometimes called “Sea Scorpions” but they are arthropods that lived from the Ordovician to the great Permian Extinction. But reached their zenith during the Silurian. But they are well known for their scorpion like appearance but are not scorpions, so they are closely related to Horseshoe Crabs. So these arthropods were quite formidable predators.
An arthropod is an animal with jointed legs. So that means they are related to lobster, crabs and Crayfish. But they are also related to insects.
These Double Eurypterus remipes fossil animals inhabited shallow seas and lagoons. These animals are quite common in central New York. But as arthropods they had a hard dorsal exoskeleton and jointed legs. They are easily identified by the long tail spine or telson and the largest recorded was over 7 feet long. Rarely are they ever found complete. Most assemblages are discarded exoskeletons as they molted. Because molts washed close to shore, into depressions and then were covered by sediment they provide good fossil evidence.
The animal is the state fossil of New York State and is found at a location in Illion, New York. That is where this Double EURYPTERUS remipes was found.
Many of the specimens seen in museums and for sale come from the famous Lang’s Quarry owned by R.A. Langheinrich.
The largest Eurypterid is 3 3/4 inches long and missing the telson. The smaller of the two is 2 3/4 and the telson is still in the matrix. The second has 1 paddle as does the first. The first also displays 1 walking leg. There is a piece missing from the second that was lost during collection. This matrix block is 8 inches by 7 1/2 inches. The block has cracked but been repaired.
