Ah hell no(pe)...Paleontologists Describe Spider/Scorpion Chimera

[RevolverRob]

Disclaimer: I am not an author on this paper. I would never be an author on this paper. I work on things that EAT spiders and scorpions...

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Front end of a spider - ass end of a whiptail scorpion.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/spider-tail-amber.html

For those of you who don't know whiptail scorpions sling acid from their tails - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelyphonida

I can only imagine some terrifying tarantula/acid-shooting whiptail hybrid. And my reaction to that is...

NOPE NOPE NOPE.

[blues]

I think Alien Gear can incorporate it into the next incarnation of flesh eating holsters. It'll appeal to their fan base.

[Drang]

I sure am getting a lot of use out of this meme these days:
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[JRB]

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[RJ]

I think Alien Gear can incorporate it into the next incarnation of flesh eating holsters. It'll appeal to their fan base.

Stevie Wonder could see what you did there. :cool:

[blues]

Stevie Wonder could see what you did there. :cool:

I think Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars would have been my first choice...;)

[WobblyPossum]

*insert “kill it with fire” meme here*

I’m with you Rob. All aboard the NOPE train.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Baldanders]

Aaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh

Hell no. That thing is unnatural.

[Shoresy]

*insert “kill it with fire” meme here*


A fitting end for a creature that belongs in Ellen Ripleys room of failed clones.

[TheNewbie]

Oh my god....

[Totem Polar]

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/25184749/would-you-like-to-supersize-that.jpg

[TheNewbie]

If I existed when that thing did, I would have found the nearest dinosaur and let it eat me.

[Peally]

I'm not a bug fan but as far as weird dangerous creatures go it's pretty neat.

[Lex Luthier]

Reading further, it apparently was 2.5 mm long. Only frightening if venomous (which is not yet known).

It made my 8-year-old paleontologist-nerd granddaughter gasp, though.

[RevolverRob]

Reading further, it apparently was 2.5 mm long. Only frightening if venomous (which is not yet known).

It made my 8-year-old paleontologist-nerd granddaughter gasp, though.

Body length - tail would have tripled that length. Making it about 1cm long. Which - yes isn't very big - and it likely wasn't venomous - but it definitely spun silk. They suspect the whip-tail was a sense organ. It's an interesting series of specimens, for sure. But I'm still all hell-no.

The biggest problem with doing paleontology of this type is - the specimens don't tend to preserve well. Lots of creepy-crawlies live(d) in trees and don't have the hard parts that make good fossils. I can almost guarantee you there was some big mamma-jamma half-spider-half-scorpion hiding out there in those Cretaceous jungles - we just haven't found the specimen yet.

[Zincwarrior]

Body length - tail would have tripled that length. Making it about 1cm long. Which - yes isn't very big - and it likely wasn't venomous - but it definitely spun silk. They suspect the whip-tail was a sense organ. It's an interesting series of specimens, for sure. But I'm still all hell-no.

The biggest problem with doing paleontology of this type is - the specimens don't tend to preserve well. Lots of creepy-crawlies live(d) in trees and don't have the hard parts that make good fossils. I can almost guarantee you there was some big mamma-jamma half-spider-half-scorpion hiding out there in those Cretaceous jungles - we just haven't found the specimen yet.

Remember, we have lots of evidence of six foot or larger sea scorpions....

[Hemiram]

Disclaimer: I am not an author on this paper. I would never be an author on this paper. I work on things that EAT spiders and scorpions...

____

Front end of a spider - ass end of a whiptail scorpion.

23610

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/spider-tail-amber.html

For those of you who don't know whiptail scorpions sling acid from their tails - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelyphonida

I can only imagine some terrifying tarantula/acid-shooting whiptail hybrid. And my reaction to that is...

NOPE NOPE NOPE.

About 1976 in Las Vegas, a load of cereal came into the grocery store near my apartment. The cereal aisle was "taken over" by Vinegaroons, and hundreds of boxes had to be destroyed. The employees and several of us customers were basically taking Vinegaroons and betting on the fights they had when put into a fishbowl. I had a really mean one that literally ripped apart several opponents, but got tired and he was finally shredded him/herself. I had never seen one before that.

[Peally]

Soon (tm)

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[DallasBronco]

Make it the size of a camel spider and it would be the perfect monster for your next nightmare.