When the largest Animals on Land were Millipedes

Across eastern Scotland there are tracks left by strange ancient animals. They look like the tracks left by millipedes but they often measure over 30cm across. What animal left these tracks and why did it grow so big?

If I have used artwork that belongs to you but have neglected to credit it this will just be because I was unable to find one. If this has happened please contact me and I will add a credit. Some Art work has been altered for the purposes of bettering them for video format; these alterations were done independent from the artists who created the original work, so they are not responsible for any inaccuracies that could have occurred with the changes being made.

Sources:

[EzzCit]

I more excited for new MothlightMedia videos than I am for my own birthday.

[memofromessex]

A centipede was happy – quite!
Until a toad in fun
Said, “Pray, which leg comes after which?”
This raised her doubts to such a pitch,
She fell exhausted in the ditch
Not knowing how to run.

Once recovered, with a sigh,
She thought to give another try.
“But wait, ” she thought, “which foot to start?
This puzzle's tearing me apart!”
With legs in knots, a flustered art,
She danced beneath the sky.

- "The Centipede's Dilemma", Katherine Craster (1841–1874)

[Darth-Nihilus]

I’ve found Arthropleura foot tracks in Turtle Creek Pennsylvania in Grafton sandstone from the late Carboniferous in the Casselman formation. I’m an extremely active fossil hunter around western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. I love how I can dig through Grafton sandstone and Ames limestone at the same time. If you find an animal fossil and want to donate it to the museum you’ll need to get property rights from the land owner and then get an appointment with the museum. I found tracks from Batrachichnus that I donated, we aren’t sure if they are Grafton sandstone or Duquesne sandstone and I had the museum send a person out to the site.

[sadwingsraging]

The smoothest pronunciations in the business.🥰 Quite commendable your talent for enunciation of some real tongue twisters.😎👍🏻

[rudivomschauerberg]

Hey man i wanted to ask if you could make a Video about the Plants of the Dinosaur Era ? Because in most videos or documentaries its only about the Animals of these times, but its kinda hard to imagine those ancient worlds without knowing anything about the vegetation ? How did the landscape looked like back then ? What trees and plants were common ? I would really love to see a video about that topic !

[Dragrath]

Its probably worth noting arthropleura has only been found in territories which are remnants of the "microcontinent" Avalonia which is a complex association of accreted terrains that began forming as a fixed volcanic subduction archipelago akin to modern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea back during the Neoproterozoic. This is important to remember because as a fixed oceanic Avalonia was thus geographically isolated from the major continents prior to getting sandwiched between Laurentia, Baltica and Gondwana during the assembly of Pangaea. As a result it seems quite plausible that they may have started out as a early analog of insular dwarfism. Though given that they made it out of the Carboniferous rainforests this likely isn't the full explanation. (As for the temperature drops that might have been a consequence of the archipelago being moved out of the tropics for the first time as the continent overrode the subduction archipelago as Australia is doing to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.


Coconut crabs while arthropods are a bad example for size limits of passive trachea based air diffusion in arthropods because they are decapods a group of crustacean arthropods which has evolved a functionally complete circulatory system complete with either lungs or gills. For technical reasons this is not classified as a "true" closed circulatory system just semi closed as they have a different kind of returning blood flow to the heart and lungs for reoxygenation. Instead Coconut Crabs are constrained by their need to molt their exoskeleton.

[spegaa-]

I live in Scotland nd it’s always lovely to hear about my home land, nd even if it’s about land I haven’t nd will never step on. Your videos are a blessing

[pumpberrystorm]

It's wild that we can find fossils today that still have impressions from tracks of animals and plants in really intricate detail

[mayday]

I wish they were still alive. I would keep one as a pet and name it Arthur Pod.

[WhiskyVibes]

Awesome content :)! Can you make a video on the evolution of Deer?

[Juan_]

Great video!👍 I personally am fascinated with the beginnings of animal evolution on land and under water. Could you make a video of the evolution of corals and sponges? Would love to learn how they managed to be such a foundation to the marine ecosystem!

[futile]

Where's the intro! Really set off my anxiety waiting for it!

[leakycheese]

I’ve seen the tracks on the Isle of Arran in person, and let me assure you they look much bigger in real life that the view photos do. Would not want to have bumped into one of things 😅

[Ballistics_Computer]

My favorite animals from before the permian are the amphibians which lived alongside arthropleura, perhaps one day we will see a feature length video for them as well. I await it with bated breath

[stephanelab]

Marvelous ! Even the background music is well choosed and is quite relaxing. Eager to see your videos turned into a book carefully illustrated with somes of theses stuning drawings.

[thesharkormoriantm]

So many amazing creatures of different epochs and they only make movies about dinosaurs.

[johnelliott]

Good point about the high oxygen level not explaining earlier giant arthropods. Interesting video.

[bleikrsound]

Fossils / imprints I find in West Virginia are 90% plant and remainder is tiny insect or older Leperditia (ocean based 500 + mya).
Looking for insect fossils in carboniferous shale involves using zoom photography, most are gnat sized.

[sihingvonfelix]

Our world is truly fascinating!
...and your voice is very nice.

[ray]

It’s AMAZING the numerous creatures that have lived on this special Planet 🌍 👏🏿👏🏿👨🏿‍💻👨🏿‍⚕️