ExtinctZoo - The King Kong Insect Scene Wasn’t Far From Reality

Episode Date: June 24, 2024

If you hate bugs, or any other type of creepy crawlies, you probably shouldn't listen to this

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and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavat Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. One of the most unsettling scenes in modern cinema is this one. The moment in which a rescue party is attacked by giant bugs and other nightmarish creatures in Peter Jackson's 2005 film, King Kong. The scene was so iconic that has taken on a life of its own

and has still talked about to this day thanks to its highly disturbing nature. And this is the part where you should sit down if you aren't already. Because as it turns out, at one point, the Earth was basically a giant version of this scene playing on loop. This was when mega swamps covered the earth and gigantic creepy crawlies and others that would raise the hair on the back of your neck were always only a step away. And don't worry, because if you were concerned that the waters were missing out on this extravaganza, then you'll be pleased to know that just about every puddle, lake, pond, and swamp you could find still had an abundance of well, creepy swimmies that surely would have loved to say hi to you.

Welcome to the Carboniferous. To arrive at this date, you would have to travel back a staggering amount of time, as this period played out between 358 to 298 million years ago, roughly 131 million years before the first mammals had evolved. This is such a long time ago that at the beginning of the Carboniferous, even the supercontinent Pangaea hadn't reached its final form, with Siberia, South China, North China, and a few other land masses still remaining isolated islands. Nevertheless, Pangaea still dominated a large part of the earth and played a huge role in the way things were, as its location alone was partially responsible for the super swamps that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Since, a good chunk of it laid close to the equator, resulting in widespread humidity, warmth, and higher levels of sunlight and rainfall, which all supported expansive forests that were dense beyond belief. These forests were then transformed into swamps during the Carboniferous period, which saw the waxing and waning of glacial sheets. This created a unique situation, as when the sea levels were low, these rich forests would grow in low-lying areas that were previously submerged. And thus, when the sea levels rose again, these forests became waterlogged, leading to swampy and riparian conditions. And in fact, the uniqueness of these areas has led to a specific nickname being given

to Carboniferous forests, and that is coal forests. These coal forests, these coal forests, forest were murky and alienish in nature due to them being filled with flora that shared little resemblance with those of today. The most dominant kind around back then were the Lepidodendrales, better known as scale trees, which, as its name implies, had barked their resembled scales, particularly alligator skin. These plants were fairly primitive, vascular, and members of the lycophyte group, a group that still stands to this day. And throughout the Carboniferous, the world saw many kinds of these odd, tree-like plants.

But perhaps the weirdest one was the Sigillaria. This genus had a rather bizarre trunk that could either be single or forked at the top, while also being woodless. Additionally, Sigillaria was quite tall, further exaggerating their unique looks, with individuals sometimes standing 30 meters or 100 feet tall. Nevertheless, they weren't the tallest floor around, as other lycophytes of the time, such as Lepidodendron were able to reach 50 meters or 160 feet. And yet despite being so tall, they were incredibly skinny,

were their trunks only having an average diameter of 1 meter or 3.3 feet. So basically, think of them as giant toothpicks. And you would think plants like these would be hard to miss, and yet they actually were, because the coal forests were jam-packed with a bunch of other flora too, namely ferns, seed ferns, cycads, and horsetails, making every step an immense challenge in the thick brush, while also giving a plethora of critters ample hiding spaces.

Although one creepy crawly you wouldn't have to worry about stepping on was amelipede. This may sound weird as stepping on amelopee today spells certain doom for said critter. But during the Carboniferous, standing on one wouldn't do much, as they reach giant proportions, with the biggest of them all being the arthropura. This monstrosity first arose during the lower carboniferous, and is so far the largest land arthropod paleontologists are aware of, with adult specimens measuring a staggering 2.63 meters or 8 feet 8 inches in length, longer than shack is tall.

Naturally, with such measurements, arthropura was rather hefty, and weighed the same as about six medium-sized watermelons. Thankfully, however, they probably wouldn't be too interested in tasting you, since paleontologists think it was a herbivorous creature that munched on a mix of woody plants, leaf litter, dead plant matter, nuts, and seeds. That isn't to say they were defenseless, though, as arthropura sported durable exoskeletons that kept them well protected from most other organisms, and attributed greatly to their high rate of preservation. Their size, of course, played a role in defense, too, giving full-grown adults and imposing presence that would have made predators think twice before testing their chances. And if these giant mill, people,

sound like an unfund time, then it would be best to avoid a good chunk of the world, as remains of Arthur Plura have been found throughout what is today North America and Europe, showing a preference for low-lying wetlands where it used either gills or lungs to breathe on land. But if you do find yourself waking up in Carboniferous Europe, at least avoid Scotland at all costs. Because not only would you have to worry about Arthur Plurra giving you a heart attack, but you'd also need to watch out for one of the largest scorpions to ever live. and that is pulmonoscopius. It, like Arthur Plura, was not a bug, but rather a primitive arachnid who happened to coexist with a giant millipede for the entirety of its existence. Like the

former, pulminoscorpius was big, with certain fossilized specimens indicating a matured size of up to 70 centimeters or 28 inches, making it the same size as a large cat. This not only makes it the biggest scorpion we know of, but also one of the largest arachnans in general, and it only gets more scary, as unlike Arthur Plura, this scorpion was an active predator, who preyed on invertebrates and amphibians using its giant pincers to ensnare victims, which were then dispatched with a giant stinger that pierced through their flesh, possibly administering venom at the same time. It's not 100% certain if pulmonary scorpius was venomous, but we do know that at the very least it did wield a stinger, as remains show the presence of a bulbous Telson at the end of its

tail, which is the scientific term for a stinger. Additionally, it may have gotten another damage buff through its pincers, as its size could have made them capable of not only gripping but crunching together with immense force. This idea is based on a few modern scorpions, like the emperor scorpion, who possessed thickened pincers that they used to literally tear their prey apart. And considering that pulmonose scorpius was 150 times its size, paleontologists don't think powerful pincers is too big of a stretch. And even when disregarding pincers and a hefty stinger, pulmonary scorpius still would have been quite the sight. Since unlike modern scorpions, it had wide, beaming lateral eyes, which likely rendered it a diurnal hunter, meaning it was on the prow for food during the day

and rested at night. And on top of these large eyes, pulmonary scorpius was made even more unique by its lack of burrowing capabilities, something usually seen in modern scorpions. Which means that without this adaptation, it really wasn't that hard to run into Earth's second-largest scorpion, as I probably spent the majority of its day roaming about. And if cat-sized scorpions and millipedes as long as some cars aren't enough for you, then wait till you hear about another carboniferous group of animals, the meganisoptera, also referred to as Griffinflies. Contrary to the previous animals named, the members of this group were indeed insects, and you wouldn't need to bother about monitoring the ground for them as they were flying insects,

and giant ones at that, with certain types being the biggest known insects to ever live, period. Of all the Griffin Fly families, the Meganeuride held the crown when it came to size, and had over 20 described genera, with the two largest being the Meganeurra and the Meganeuropsis. Both were nearly identical in size with adults capable of having wingspans of over 2.4 feet or 0.75 meters, while weighing the same as a good-sized crow. Yet, the two looked nothing like a crow, resembling dragonflies instead, which also happens to be their closest living relative. Similar to living dragonflies, Griffinflies were also insectivores,

who could spot fast-flying prey thanks to enormous eyes. And once something was in their sights, they would fly their target down, before using highly adapted spiky hairs in their legs to essentially trap these poor victims, which were then swiftly ushered into their wading mandibles, a truly unpleasant way to go, which also probably happened to many, considering the griffin flies were a staple of the Carboniferous and were widespread within central pangea.

And unfortunately for some, they weren't the only group of flying insects thriving at the time, demonstrated by paleodic dioptera, in extinct order of primitive bugs that looked like giant, green drakes, and could sometimes rival the sizes of griffin flies, with a couple of species being just 25% smaller. Fortunately, most weren't quite as voracious, due to their vegetarian preferences with plant tissues and juices being their top foods of choice, which they accessed with a sharpened,

elongated pump-sucking organ. Other members, namely the smaller ones, were arguably much more terrifying, as they were thought to have been parasitic, using their strange organs to feast in the flesh and blood a poor animals. In this case, typically amphibious tetrapods. Don't feel too bad, though, as amphibians were doing just fine at the time, with a carboniferous, occasionally even being named the age of amphibians, due to their high level of diversification, with many adapting to fully terrestrial, aquatic, or semi-aquatic lifestyles. Also, in their own ways, these creatures were just as hair-raising as carboniferous insects and invertebrates, with plenty being immensely weird, like the snakeish

coloradurbiton, while others were terrifying thanks to their immense size and potent jaws, which allowed them to hunt large prey. One prominent member to appear who nicely demonstrated this progress in amphibians was Ariops, a lion-sized genus that could be found in New Mexico and Texas. It was one of the largest predators of its time and was further set apart by its skeleton, that so far is the most ossified temnospondal skeleton we know of. This level of ossification indicated Ariops had an extremely strong defense. And it had a bite to match too. With its teeth being fang-like,

while its jaws were robust, providing a strong bite that could pierce the ossified hides of nearly any other amphibian. And still, even it wasn't the meanest amphibian lurking around. With that distinction, perhaps going to Mbola Meres, a semi-aquatic group that dominated the late Carboniferous being the Earth's largest tetrapods in those days. They were characterized by long, narrow bodies that they used to efficiently traverse,

lagoons, lakes, and rivers by undulating in an eel-like fashion. And they were just as nifty on land, sporting robust yet primitive legs, which were roped with muscles allowing for surprisingly good locomotion. Most ended up as their environment's apex predator, and a couple, like the Anthracosaurus, and Faladurbiton became giant, rivaling alligators and crocodiles in length. Such creatures would have made any freshwater a questionable choice to approach. Of course, though, in prehistoric fashion, things in the water only got worse. Since along with them, you had an array of spine-chilling invertebrates swimming around too,

specifically sea scorpions. Contrary to their name, they could indeed be found in freshwater sources and were not actually scorpions. Rather, eurypteids, a now extinct group of arthropods. During the Carboniferous, they achieved a global distribution in the world. fresh water, with multiple kinds representing them, including Adela Thalmus, Hiberotopterus, and Megarachn, who was originally believed to have been a giant spider, hence the name. Lots of sea scorpions shared a heavily armored and bizarre appearance, though species were still quite diverse from one another, with some preying on fish using tail spikes and pincers to

slice and dice, while others use their limbs to sift through substrate for small crustaceans and mollusks. General body shape also widely varied, with most being long and fairly small, but a few did get big, especially the Hippertopterus, who may have been the largest sea scorpion of all time, since certain trackways indicate an exceptionally huge individual that measured 8.2 feet or 2.5 meters in length. It was further supersized by its bulky and compact build, meaning that despite being a bit shorter than some Devonian giant sea scorpions, it was still by far the heaviest.

Miraculously though, neither it nor any other sea scorpion or aquatic amphibian for that matter were the biggest freshwater terror. Since the Carboniferous was home to the rhizodons, Earth's most nightmarish freshwater fish. Fish in this family had a lot going on, even when only examining their dentition, with members possessing both fang-like teeth and enlarged tusks which were utilized to pierce the flesh of prey. Their teeth were also rotatable, meaning with every bite the teeth would turn to face each other ensuring that they dug deeper and deeper into muscle. And of course, rhizodons had giant skulls too, that had thickened bones indicating a powerful

bite overall. And this only scratches the surface of their unhinged nature. As disregarding their toothiness, rhizodont also had powerful limbs that allowed them to basically leap out of the water and attack unsuspecting animals on shore. a crazy feat considering that rhizodons could be big. Big as in the largest freshwater fish of all time kind of big. Not every species was so record-breaking, but the rhizodice sure was. This was one of the last rhizodons to exist and happened to be the biggest,

measuring over 7 meters or 23 feet in length, while weighing nearly two tons. At this size, it was the biggest predator an animal could run or swim into, and escape was nearly always off the table, since rhizodus and rhizodonts in general had flexible spinal columns that allowed them to easily maneuver waterways that were clogged by untold amounts of vegetation. Since the Carboniferous was still long ago that almost nothing had evolved that could efficiently decompose fallen trees. This actually is what partially led to the name Carboniferous in itself. As over millions of years and more and more vegetation died without being composed, they started to stack on top of each other, creating immense pressure and heat.

ultimately leading to the formation of coal, which in Latin is called Carbo. Thus, Carboniferous. And estimates suggest that today, 90% of all coal derives from this period alone. And this percentage would have been even higher if it wasn't for a giant pest control event that occurred approximately 305 million years ago, and that is the Carboniferous rainforest collapse. This extinction, while minor in certain senses, wound up having profound effects, as cooling and increased aridification led to the downfall of coal forests. This triggered a slow decline in animals that relied on them, including many animals named in this video.

Some of the luckier ones did manage to survive into the Permian like the griffin flies, but never obtained a high degree of success again, ultimately vanishing as well. Perhaps... Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals, Because we're built for what you're building. Fit for your ambition. For citizens back.

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