Here in the Colorado River Valley we deal with the usual critters such as cockroaches, beetles, termites, spiders, and ants. Plus we have to deal with those unique to the desert southwest such as scorpions and tarantulas. None of these really pose a problem as the professionals at Baron Services are just a phone call away.
But there was once a time when you might need more than a professional pest control company. Long, long ago even the Goliath bird eater spider, one of the world’s largest spiders at more than six ounces in weight and five inches in length, would have been dwarfed.
Several million years ago the Meganeuropsis was a common sight in primeval forests. Fossilized specimens of this behemoth griffin fly have been discovered with a seventeen inch body and an astounding two foot wingspan. There are hints that this beast fed on large amphibians such as frogs.
Do scorpions make you nervous? Imagine this. An estimated 390 million years ago giant sea scorpions patrolled the seas. The largest fossilized versions are nearly eight foot long. And it that is not nightmarish enough, they claws that were nearly two feet long!
On land Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis, another species of scorpion during the Devonian period would have instilled fear in the most hardened pest control professional. Some two foot fossilized specimens have been found but scientists have postulated that there may have been larger specimens.
Aside from when they are offered on a plate, snails generally don’t make people squeamish. Even the African land snail, the largest existent snail at seven inches, is not a very terrifying creature.
If encountered the prehistoric C-giganteum snail that dwelled along ocean shores during the Eocene epoch would surely be a different story. Fossilized two foot examples have been discovered in France.
Spotting centipedes in the home will inspire an involuntary shudder. From the Carboniferous to the early Permian period there roamed a centipede of truly horrifying size.
Fossilized specimens of Arthropleura have been found that were nearly eight feet long! Some were two feet wide. It remains one of the largest invertebrates yet discovered.
And, of course, here in western Arizona, snakes are an issue even though only a few are poisonous. It is unnerving to find them in our yards, garage or home.
Imagine this. The anaconda that can reach lengths of almost thirty feet is one of the largest snakes in the world today. But the prehistoric Titanoba Cerrejonensis would have dwarfed the biggest anaconda.
The fossilized remains of this monster that have been discovered measure between forty and fifty feet in length. It is estimated that they weighed in excess of 2,000 pounds!
If you have a pest control problem, be it spiders, ants, scorpions, cockroaches or termites, call the professionals at Baron Services. And no more how upsetting these critters are, just be glad that you are note dealing with their prehistoric relatives.
Written by Jim Hinckley of Jim Hinckley’s America