''Gigantoscorpio willsi'' is an extinct species of

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always endi ...

which lived between 345.0million and 342.8million years ago, during the Visean age of the Carboniferous. Its type specimen is BMNH In. 42706a,b, In. 42707, which is a 3D body fossil of its

exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton ( endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

found near modern-day

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It is thought to grew up to around long, but later study estimated its total length about .

References

Carboniferous arthropods of Europe Carboniferous arachnids Prehistoric scorpions Fossil taxa described in 1963 {{paleo-scorpion-stub