Let us all be thankful we don’t live in the age of the giant scorpion.
Giant crocodiles
Purassaurus lived in South America eight million years ago, and would grow up to 13 metres long. That's more than twice as long as the largest species of crocodile alive today.
Why you're glad they're extinct: Being twice as big as your regular giant croc means it is also twice as absolutely terrifying.
Via deviantart.com
Three-foot-long scorpions
Pulmonoscorpius was very similar to modern scorpions, with front claws and a sting in its tail. The difference is that it was a metre long.
Why you're glad they're extinct: You couldn't pick these bad boys up by their tails and throw them out the window. But they could probably do that to you.
Via generalkulture.blogspot.co.uk
Massive millipedes
Arthropleura was much like modern millipedes, except it was two metres long.
Why you're glad they're extinct: Because fuck that.
Via geology.cz
Spiders with stings like scorpions
Attercopus was the earliest known true spider, as it could produce a web. But it still had a sting like a scorpion.
Why you're glad they're extinct: All the bad of a spider and all the bad of a scorpion, rolled into one horrible hybrid.
Flo Perry / Via coo.fieldofscience.com
