Think mosquitoes and millipedes are nasty? Then don't look too deeply into New Mexico's past. Today, you can squish the tiny bugs, but 300 million years ago, 8-foot-long millipedes were in control of the landscape, and humans weren't even a gleam in evolution's eye. New Mexico is now a world record holder of such "exquisitely grotesque creatures," as one worker at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science calls them. Evidence of the largest arthropleura - its technical name - ever found was recovered by the museum on Friday. "In today's world, you couldn't have a bug this big," said Spencer Lucas, paleontology curator at the museum. "This is basically the Tyrannosaurus of the Pennsylvanian period, millions of years before dinosaurs evolved. If you took a time machine back, you'd definitely want to check your sleeping bag for these suckers before getting in."

The Pennsylvanian time period lasted from 325 to 280 million years ago. The museum has not found the bug itself. What it did find in a remote canyon near Española were the fossilized tracks of such a creature - which looks like a 3-by-8 speed bump with flat wings holding hundreds of nasty, ribbed, horseshoe-shaped feet.

View: Full Article | Source: Albuquerque Tribune

Anyone have a big can of insect spray?

If I saw that I would scream like a young girl.

Thats not so big.

mad manfred, if u faced one i bet u crap ur pants big time.

Big Bug.

That's huge! Who would like one of those creeping in under the kitche door!!!?

And my wife is scard of a mouse! What a baby.

Hrmm. Never heard of 8 foot bugs before.

Wonder why they evolved into such tiny creatures over the years.

Screw the fly swatter or the random book... you would have to get out the .50 calibur rifle to take one of those buggers out.

8-foot long? I think I'll now treat those errant mini-crawlies underneath my hammering shoe with a tad more respect... I don't want to piss-off a steroid cousin!

probably the same reason every other creature is smaller now then it was 300 million years ago, our planet has cooled and caused many creatures, especially lizards and insects, to "downsize" in order to survive. but why our planet has cooled is still up for debate.

I think thats one crazy ass huge bug that I would have to seduce with a piece of steak inorder to get by!! imagine a 2 foot long ant thats crazy yo!

Its is trully amazing what creatures once roamed this planet!

*splat*
Thats me barfing out of horrified disgust, just like I do when people post pictures of gigantic nasty fish. *shudders*

I wonder like when I pick up a rock and I see a slew of bugs all on top of each other all crawling around... just what that pile of insects would look like that big... and if they'd squish each other from the weight...

and just thinking of those segmented bodies at that size gives me willys.

burnside, you have a point...how did these things evolve over to little bugs today...they should have grown bigger actually

WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! GET IT THE HELL AWAY!!