Scorpions are up there as one of the world's deadliest animals to humans. The venom delivered by a stinger in some species can cause death.
Now, imagine a carnivorous scorpion the size of a cat with a large, deadly tail: meet Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis. Like its modern relatives, this largest-ever land scorpion had strong pincers, eight spindly legs and a venomous tail. It could grow to lengths of 70cm (28in) and unlike scorpion of today, it had large, lateral eyes, good for navigating the dense canopy of prehistoric trees and ferns.
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Its pincers were relatively small, suggesting it either targeted prey smaller than itself or relied heavily on its venom to subdue larger victims, using its claws only to handle them immobilised.
It lived in what is now Scotland during the Early Carboniferous period, around 330 million years ago.
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Main image: Junnn11, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
