When Giant Millipedes Reigned

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  • Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
  • This giant millipede was the largest known invertebrate to ever live on land. So how did it get so big??
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,3 тис.

  • @Stejers
    @Stejers Рік тому +2180

    can we have a video on why bugs have so many legs? cause i learned that animals dont tend to just grow new limbs out of nowhere and yet we have bugs with six and centi and milipede with too many to count

    • @cooldude4888
      @cooldude4888 Рік тому +386

      Millipedes are just a line of segments that are all identical and they grow by adding new segments. Most animals are actually built that way, but segments usually specialize and deviate from the "legged worm" shape. To some extent, this can be seen in centipedes that have modified limbs on their front segments that they use to inject venom. Or in any shrimp or lobster, in which you can see different types of limbs in the thorax, abdomen and even paddle like legs that form the "tail flipper".

    • @patreekotime4578
      @patreekotime4578 Рік тому +229

      Its actually MUCH stranger that tetrapods all exclusively have 4 limbs (or fewer).

    • @dani.lepore9410
      @dani.lepore9410 Рік тому +107

      @@patreekotime4578 how the segmentation of chordates work is a real mess

    • @emancoy
      @emancoy Рік тому +32

      Natural selection favored 6 legs for insects

    • @MalcolmCooks
      @MalcolmCooks Рік тому +148

      @@emancoy thank you professor obvious

  • @ridney5887
    @ridney5887 Рік тому +743

    Me: "Giant arthropods can't hurt you, we don't have the oxygen rich atmosphere they crave."
    PBS EONS: "It's free real estate." 😎

    • @Ditidos
      @Ditidos Рік тому +32

      Have you heard of goliath tarantulas and coconut crabs? Those things can kill birds if they feel like it, heck the coconut crab can fight a cat and win. Neither is extinct yet.

    • @ridney5887
      @ridney5887 Рік тому +7

      @@Ditidos Yes, and I'm also deeply unsettled by our current "giant" centipedes, though none of them hold a candle to these ancient monstrosities!

    • @schwannity7222
      @schwannity7222 Рік тому +4

      @@Ditidos you can also add Japanese crabs and the giant "scuttlers" deep beneath the ocean.

    • @Findecommie
      @Findecommie Рік тому +13

      My first thought was "so you're saying that if someone bred a giant millipede today it could, in fact, survive🤔 🧐 "

    • @astick5249
      @astick5249 Рік тому +5

      @@Findecommie I want one

  • @maxprofane
    @maxprofane Рік тому +112

    I can't express how grateful I am that they got much smaller.

    • @sourabhkarmakar8040
      @sourabhkarmakar8040 Рік тому +3

      They're all right but imagine giant centipede 😂😵

    • @jrock2743
      @jrock2743 Рік тому

      😅

    • @fartnutte1724
      @fartnutte1724 9 місяців тому +3

      not me. I long for a world where giant millipedes are popular alongside dogs and cats....oh how I long to feed them many heads of lettuce

  • @Domzdream
    @Domzdream Рік тому +412

    Just imagine - if this was an accidental discovery, just imagine how many cool things are yet hidden underground….or under ice.

    • @Makabert.Abylon
      @Makabert.Abylon Рік тому +11

      Many cool things to look forward to!

    • @canchero724
      @canchero724 Рік тому +76

      Imagine how many species never got fossilized too.

    • @daisiesofdoom
      @daisiesofdoom Рік тому +15

      I especially don't want to know which kind of bacteria and viruses are under the ice.

    • @queenofchalice
      @queenofchalice Рік тому +10

      Yup! That caramel-cappuccino tasting extinct fruit I’ll never get to try. 😭

    • @codingwithk5725
      @codingwithk5725 Рік тому +1

      @@canchero724 molluscs i guess...

  • @X7rocks
    @X7rocks Рік тому +17

    "It's free real estate" lmaooooo
    I got it and love the fact you said it hahahaha

  • @sophiechiewtrakoon
    @sophiechiewtrakoon Рік тому +273

    I've had an irrational fear of millipedes since childhood summers spent in Thailand, and I thought THOSE footlong millipedes were terrifying, but there was some point in time where they could get to be the size of alligators?? I now have a newfound appreciation for the fact that I will never encounter one of these giant arthropods.
    Also, the fact that I can actually get over myself and sit down to watch this video in its entirety despite my...aversion...to the topic speaks volumes to the quality of content that the Eons team creates. Excellent and compelling work as always, y'all!

    • @jackturner7814
      @jackturner7814 Рік тому +15

      Are you sure the giant bugs in your childhood weren’t Centipedes? Those are pure carnivores and would be actually dangerous! Millipedes on the other hand, are usually rounder, have twice the number of legs per body segment, and are deeply, placid and almost friendly to humans.
      Do you have a pic of the scary bugs in question? I’m very curious now….

    • @wrenleader4409
      @wrenleader4409 Рік тому +7

      It's possible that your fear of millipedes isn't so irrational! Kallie did say that it's possible that this giant millipede fed on early amphibians. So maybe your fear is from our (super ancient) ancestors trying to avoid being eaten by giant millipedes!

    • @Jcraft174
      @Jcraft174 Рік тому +4

      I live in the Philippines where millipedes are exclusively everywhere but I fear them the most even though I literally see and live with them every single day.

    • @stefanostokatlidis4861
      @stefanostokatlidis4861 Рік тому +2

      @@wrenleader4409 too much of a stretch.
      We don’t even know if it eight living flesh. Modern millipedes can scavenge.
      But even if it did, this happened so far away and so many things have changed by then.

    • @walkingtree2486
      @walkingtree2486 Рік тому +4

      I also have a huge irrational fear of certain insects. Spiders, millipedes, centipedes, cockroaches.
      I once saw idk if it was a millipede or centipede on my doorframe while I was on my toilet.
      I started sweating and hyper ventilating.
      This irrational fear definitely developed from my ancestors

  • @SweetBerryWine3000
    @SweetBerryWine3000 Рік тому +94

    OMG, Kallie doing the "It's free real estate" meme is the BEST thing ever! 😂
    PBS Eons + Tim and Eric = perfection! 💖

  • @KimberlyGreen
    @KimberlyGreen Рік тому +88

    As big as that thing is, we should call it a MILE-ipede. That creepy-crawly is huge!

    • @worsethanhitlerpt.2539
      @worsethanhitlerpt.2539 Рік тому +1

      Most people freak out when they see a normal millipede that thing would make your brain melt with fear

  • @redriver6541
    @redriver6541 Рік тому +610

    I live in the western kentucky coal fields....and I have never seen anything like this in the fossils we find in the coal seams. This is amazing. We find lots of fossils from the carboniferous period. As well as the surrounding pennsylvanian sandstone and mississippian limestones below them.

    • @swimdownx6365
      @swimdownx6365 Рік тому +6

      Maybe they lived in a more oxygen rich Land

    • @Nefville
      @Nefville Рік тому +7

      I'm in Louisville, Red River, as in Gorge? I'm trying to think where there is coal in the western park of KY, I've only ever heard it in the east. My family is from close to Paducah, in Salem KY.

    • @Yosskovya
      @Yosskovya Рік тому +1

      what do you find instead?

    • @JNArnold
      @JNArnold Рік тому +2

      Trace fossils for these are probably a lot harder to identify/notice and they said direct fossils are pretty rare.

    • @FalseNomen
      @FalseNomen Рік тому +14

      @@swimdownx6365 The video suggests that it wasn't more oxygen that let the get so big, but rather a lack of predators. They're so old that many vertebrates weren't there to challenge them.

  • @leventemucsi9547
    @leventemucsi9547 Рік тому +562

    The Carboniferous is low-key my favorite age, the idea of big insects is just fascinating (and terrifying).
    The Prehistoric Park episode with these critters is what truly started my love for paleontology and paleozoology specifically

    • @rl9217
      @rl9217 Рік тому +44

      “The prehistoric park episode with these critters is what started my love for paleontology.”
      Indeed spoken like a true man of culture, Prehistoric Park was just something else. I loved that show as a kid.

    • @exomake_mehorololo
      @exomake_mehorololo Рік тому +2

      Same

    • @Mr.HotDogShirtGuy
      @Mr.HotDogShirtGuy Рік тому +2

      Same!!!

    • @Slugzie
      @Slugzie Рік тому +2

      Same !!!!

    • @Discitus
      @Discitus Рік тому +10

      The Carboniferous is my favourite too. I don't know how many people have favourite geological periods, but I do! The giant lycophyte "trees", the massive arthropods, sprawling swamps... So cool.

  • @Games_and_Music
    @Games_and_Music Рік тому +258

    The Devonian and Carboniferous are my favorite periods, Dunkleosteus has been my favorite prehistoric animal for years, but i never actually thought about how ancient many insect species already are, because to me it never felt like any of them really went extinct, aside from the aquatic ones. It explains why i love Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

    • @omjebuslykserioursly
      @omjebuslykserioursly Рік тому

      Dunkleosteus

    • @Dragrath1
      @Dragrath1 Рік тому +4

      There were a number of groups which went extinct its just most of that frankly was probably done by competition with other arthropods and climate change. The rise of complete metamorphosis was a big deal in the insect world and may have had something to do with that as by hatching prematurely to become effectively free living embryos insects became able to occupy 2 separate niches with radically different adaptive traits but the Great dying was called the Great dying for a reason.
      On that note as ancient as insects are they are actually quite young compared to the myriapods (centipedes, millipedes and their relatives) which are among the oldest known terrestrial animal fossils. In fact we don't know when they came ashore or how since their entire fossil record is Terrestrial and occurred after their evolutionary radiation into centipedes millipedes and their relatives extinct or otherwise (i.e. the clade is represented by both centipede and millipede fossils in terrestrial environments by the Silurian. Interestingly molecular clock methods suggest the clade likely arose back in the Cambrian period those fossil evidence is lacking perhaps they had already left the oceans by that point(many are burrowing animals today).

    • @UberOtaku001
      @UberOtaku001 Рік тому +1

      I have that manga. The bugs are beautiful.

    • @Eidelmania
      @Eidelmania Рік тому +2

      It's interesting to me (a gardener) that the common Horsetail (Equisetidae) plant dates back to this time. It's living fossil of one of the first plants to appear on earth. And today is one of the only plants native to every continent. I guess 350 million years ago, there were entire forrest of the stuff.

  • @clarkluckhardt6513
    @clarkluckhardt6513 Рік тому +5

    Loved the “free real estate” reference XD

  • @ryanw1433
    @ryanw1433 Рік тому +82

    I would wager that a crawling arthropod’s oxygen requirements are quite a bit less intense than a flyer’s.

    • @astick5249
      @astick5249 Рік тому +1

      Oh yea they probably were

    • @DJFracus
      @DJFracus Рік тому +10

      especially if it was herbivorous

    • @boc120
      @boc120 Рік тому

      I think you’re on the right track with this

  • @phillipowen3149
    @phillipowen3149 Рік тому +84

    The Carboniferous period is such a fascinating time in earth’s history, great vid!

  • @richardhall1667
    @richardhall1667 Рік тому +11

    “It’s free real estate”
    I died laughing 😂

  • @DIREWOLFx75
    @DIREWOLFx75 Рік тому +8

    Nice to see a presentation like this that doesn't just spend half the time trying to stretch things out as much as possible but actually focus on providing information. Much appreciated.

  • @twojuiceman
    @twojuiceman Рік тому +38

    The fact that we know the oxygen levels millions of years ago lowkey blows my mind. Like, people looking at rocks can calculate what the atmosphere was like so long ago. Whack

    • @agnosticmuslim6341
      @agnosticmuslim6341 Рік тому +6

      How exactly though? Would love a video on how do they do all these research and the tools they use for it.

    • @brothermine2292
      @brothermine2292 Рік тому +1

      Ice cores drilled deep in Antarctica?

    • @jeffreyestahl
      @jeffreyestahl Рік тому +10

      Typically, it's done by looking at ratios of plant types in the fossil record then comparing them to known (and related) plants today. This gives us a indication of how much oxygen is being produced. That can again be compared with today, and a final ratio is produced. It IS an estimate, but it's still statistically sound, so the actual oxygen levels were probably pretty close to what they're calculated to be.
      I used to study this stuff when I was a kid - before it became cool. Still think it's all cool though.

    • @MuppetsSh0w
      @MuppetsSh0w Рік тому

      @@brothermine2292 Bro it was 325 millions of years ago...

    • @brothermine2292
      @brothermine2292 Рік тому

      @@MuppetsSh0w : You're right... googling shows the oldest ice core is only about 2.7 million years. I spent a few more minutes trying to google how the oxygen level is actually estimated but I didn't find an explanation clear enough to repeat here.

  • @Nefville
    @Nefville Рік тому +10

    When the exterminator needs a flamethrower and rocket launcher to take care of an infestation, you know you're in the carboniferous. 🐛🐛

  • @Takeature
    @Takeature Рік тому +2

    I immediately got the real estate joke, great execution 😁

  • @Lord.Kiltridge
    @Lord.Kiltridge Рік тому +37

    The story of the millipede, told in 30 segments.

  • @MRptwrench
    @MRptwrench Рік тому +89

    If I could have viewed a ginormous arthropod it would be the Photinus pyralis, or the common Eastern Firefly or Big Dipper firefly. I know it would be hard for them to hover around, but just seeing them as giants lighting up their domain at dusk would be awesome! Bonus, their larvae look pretty wicked too.

  • @highfive7689
    @highfive7689 Рік тому +17

    I have to say that this is one of those Episodes that really crawls into your heart and leaves memorable formication feeling! Well done EON another brilliant showing!

  • @boopbeepparkinson
    @boopbeepparkinson Рік тому +13

    Nice to know there is an updated Carboniferous episode :]

  • @Googledeservestodie
    @Googledeservestodie Рік тому +7

    Man why can't I find cool fossils when I'm on vacation? Last thing I found on vacation was heat stroke

    • @wijon321tube6
      @wijon321tube6 Рік тому +2

      Come to Joggins, Nova Scotia we got em

    • @nicholaslewis8594
      @nicholaslewis8594 Рік тому

      @Mason’s Dad Cool fossils or heat stroke😂 Never mind, it’s Canada.

  • @menkomonty
    @menkomonty Рік тому +11

    I remember watching the Walking with Monsters episode where an Arthropluera had a fight with an amphibian and the giant spider which turned out never existed at all.

  • @CrisUrbanJacquesBiology
    @CrisUrbanJacquesBiology Рік тому +3

    Surprisingly, the “it’s free real state “ is a classic that doesn’t get old

  • @sephirothjc
    @sephirothjc Рік тому +2

    The 'it's free real estate' meme was perfect by the way

  • @jasonGamesMaster
    @jasonGamesMaster Рік тому +2

    Don't worry. I got your reference there. I was listening while running errands and laughed out loud. Didn't even see you pose lol

  • @paulwallis7586
    @paulwallis7586 Рік тому +70

    Another issue - How long would they have had to live to reach sizes like that?

    • @scottmantooth8785
      @scottmantooth8785 Рік тому +13

      *Lizards, snakes, amphibians, and coral all continue to grow until they die. The scientific name for these creatures is "indeterminate growers" so if the same applies to these gigantic insects with no real predators to harass them and in environments suitable to their metabolic needs i can imagine these millipedes could live a very long time*

    • @firewarrior9999
      @firewarrior9999 Рік тому +9

      Some millipedes in the modern day can live up to ten years. So maybe these millipedes also had the same lifespan. It also seems like they had more oxygen and nutrience, so that propbably accelerated their growth.

    • @paulwallis7586
      @paulwallis7586 Рік тому +2

      @@firewarrior9999 ...And sustained a much larger body. Makes sense.

    • @dynamicworlds1
      @dynamicworlds1 Рік тому

      Iirc, lobsters die of natural causes when they simply get so big that they finally fail to successfully molt, because it simply gets proportionately more difficult the larger they are, with minimal if any other detrimental effects of aging.
      It's possible they simply didn't have a natural lifespan in the conventional sense and just kept growing until they were too big to molt/eat/breathe enough to not die.

  • @Dedan002
    @Dedan002 Рік тому +3

    Arthropods arriving on land with all kinds of niches to fill: "It's free real estate 😏"

  • @akpsyche1299
    @akpsyche1299 Рік тому +2

    I can firmly say that I understood the "it's free real estate" reference.

  • @jmlkinc
    @jmlkinc Рік тому +1

    There is nothing better than learning something new and incredible from happy excited scientists on youtube.

  • @corbindick8943
    @corbindick8943 Рік тому +75

    I simply could not live in a world with gigantic insects

    • @CocoaBeachLiving
      @CocoaBeachLiving Рік тому +15

      Can you imagine you're in a tent at night and along comes this fellow... Not to mention all the other things that want to eat you.. Lol

    • @bar5167
      @bar5167 Рік тому +3

      U already do

    • @jefferybrealey2211
      @jefferybrealey2211 Рік тому +1

      Y not be cool to see Humans on the insects dinner list

    • @kayzeaza
      @kayzeaza Рік тому +3

      I feel like I can’t live in a world without them

    • @karlakirkpatrick2214
      @karlakirkpatrick2214 Рік тому

      I could have some fun with these because I use to have fun with the small ones 😁😁😁😂🤣😂 I might have been in the house most of the time but when I was outside it was no mercy 😃😃🤣🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♀️ to my siblings 😁😂🤣😁🤣😂🤨😏🙄🥺😳😜

  • @tildessmoo
    @tildessmoo Рік тому +9

    I also wonder how much arthropleura's shape had to do with its ability to grow so large. Since it was so wide and flat, its volume-to-surface-area ratio wouldn't increase as quickly as a rounder arthropod, making it easier to get bigger and still get enough oxygen, without having to wait on an environmental increase.

  • @TheBleeeeeeeh
    @TheBleeeeeeeh Рік тому +20

    I like to imagine the discovery went something like this
    - Geologist: "Haha okay, remember everyone, we're on vacation! First person to talk shop buys drinks for the rest of the trip!"
    - _Group stumbles across game-changing Carboniferous fossil preserved in sandstone_
    - _Geologists begin collectively sweating, looking at one another nervously_

  • @gumunduringigumundsson4315
    @gumunduringigumundsson4315 Рік тому +4

    I will never forget seeing its live replica in full size in the natural museum in Chicago when I was 12. It was heavier than me!!! Like.. F that!!! 😂 LOL

  • @ColinRichardson
    @ColinRichardson Рік тому +43

    I would love to see a massive Dragonfly.. Have always loved them.
    There is an amazing metal statue by a canal not too far from me, but it is sitting in the middle of a pond, so not something you can go up and touch.. And to be honest, I am not sure it is even as big as some of the reports of the biggest dragonflies that ever existed.. Still nice to look at though.

    • @Eidelmania
      @Eidelmania Рік тому +4

      Until it hunts you down. Dragonflies are apex hunters of insects. Could you imagine a giant praying mantis? Now that would be terrifying.

    • @ColinRichardson
      @ColinRichardson Рік тому +2

      @@Eidelmania Yeah, I've seen the episode of sliders and SG-1 where they have bugs that are just WAY TOO BIG.. but, still think it would be cool

    • @xstorm_8_shadowx
      @xstorm_8_shadowx Рік тому +2

      @@Eidelmania especially when they have an average kill rate of 95% of their targets.

  • @jeffreyschweitzer8289
    @jeffreyschweitzer8289 Рік тому +7

    MOUS’s. Millipedes of Unusual Size. Must have been the fire swamps.

    • @osonhouston
      @osonhouston Рік тому +2

      I don't think they exist. 😐

    • @mattmorehouse9685
      @mattmorehouse9685 Рік тому +1

      Weren't carboniferous swamps incredibly prone to fire since most land animals couldn't digest wood, at one point? So they had massive build up of dry decaying wood, till lightning struck, and boom! giant fire.

    • @jeffreyschweitzer8289
      @jeffreyschweitzer8289 Рік тому +1

      @@mattmorehouse9685 The 35% oxygen atmosphere probably made for bigger booms too

    • @jeffreyschweitzer8289
      @jeffreyschweitzer8289 Рік тому +1

      @@osonhouston 😂

    • @osonhouston
      @osonhouston Рік тому +1

      @@jeffreyschweitzer8289 I know some conifers have evolved protection against fires as well as traits that help them germinate after fires.
      Perhaps the cycle of oxygen rising, explosive fires, conifers dropping seeds leading to oxygen levels rising helped with the growth of MOUS's.

  • @YaserFarid
    @YaserFarid Рік тому +52

    The problem is people simply think that the percentage of oxygen matters, not overall atmospheric pressure.
    If the oxygen percent is identical or similar but if the overall pressure is high, it will allow arthropod to get significantly larger than normal today, as higher the pressure will allow oxygen to penetrate deeper in their bodies making it easier for their cells to get oxygenated and get bigger.

    • @ashgcy
      @ashgcy Рік тому +9

      Has there been any huge changes in atmospheric pressure over geological time though? I always assumed that it would be relatively constant at the same elevations across time, since it would be quite difficult to introduce new gaseous matter to the atmosphere that significantly impacts atmospheric pressures

    • @tochka832
      @tochka832 Рік тому +2

      possible, but what would be the reason for pressure to be so much higher to have significant effect?

    • @YaserFarid
      @YaserFarid Рік тому +8

      @@tochka832 Earth loses atmosphere all the time, having high amount of volcanic activity means more gas is released in the atmosphere and that would increase the pressure.

    • @YaserFarid
      @YaserFarid Рік тому +2

      @@ashgcy The atmospheric pressure would change for sure, everyday earth loses 90 tons of air (Different components gas), to outerspace, thus Earth is losing pressure all the time, but it is made up by volcanic activity and Human releasing CO2 and other gasses that were buried in the rocks.

    • @ashgcy
      @ashgcy Рік тому +3

      @@YaserFarid had a quick look online and while that 90 tons fact is true, that's only an incredibly small portion of the gases in Earth's atmosphere.
      It certainly seems a little unlikely that atmospheric pressure differences alone could explain the large size of arthropleura, you'd need a lot of volcanic activity, that had such a long lasting effect that it would cause increased atmospheric pressure all the way into the middle Carboniferous.
      Couple other comment chains in here are theorising a bit more on the morphology/ecology of arthropleura itself. Since it's pretty flattened, it's got a decently large surface area, and its herbivorous diet is a lot less metabolically demanding than the active predatory lifestyle of the griffinflies.
      I'm sure that the paleontologists and paleoentomologists working to describe how Arthropleura got so big are looking at all options and haven't just forgotten to think about atmospheric pressure

  • @handsofrhythm3415
    @handsofrhythm3415 Рік тому +1

    Thanks EONS for educating thousands, again, for free. One day it will be millions. That would be an evolution, wouldn't it.

  • @johnquach8821
    @johnquach8821 Рік тому +12

    Always been a fan of the big fossil arthropods.

  • @oukie666
    @oukie666 Рік тому +9

    I live in Fife Scotland and Arthropleura track's can be found at a beach next to the village of Crail, there's also other fossils to be found and a huge fossilised tree stump.

  • @nervousleg
    @nervousleg Рік тому +1

    i will be forever grateful that the "it's free real estate" stayed in this episode!! it gave me a good smile

  • @Beryllahawk
    @Beryllahawk Рік тому +3

    This made me think about the Xanth fantasy novel series and the centipedes and nickelpedes. THIS thing would be a dollarpede!

  • @MichaelSD91
    @MichaelSD91 Рік тому +4

    I played the Peter Jackson King Kong video game and there were creatures similar to this one. Was a fun game but these creatures scared me while I played it.

  • @miss.scales7159
    @miss.scales7159 Рік тому +3

    Millipedes are seriously one of my favorite creepy-crawlies ❤❤

  • @rosaliegrace905
    @rosaliegrace905 Рік тому +1

    "Its free real estate" literally killed me

  • @BossButRoss
    @BossButRoss Рік тому +2

    Thank you for the meme. Much appreciation. Made me giggle. 😂

  • @spencerthompson1049
    @spencerthompson1049 Рік тому +4

    This arthropod is so amazing! Thank you!

  • @bionictran
    @bionictran Рік тому +11

    I want to see how electric eels/fish came to fruition.

  • @seaborgium919
    @seaborgium919 Рік тому +2

    I wish I could see one. I need to go to another museum.

  • @emmettleibel4165
    @emmettleibel4165 Рік тому +1

    I literally spat my drink out when I heard her say "it's free real estate"

  • @popguy2815
    @popguy2815 Рік тому +4

    Fire must have been insane during the O2 spike.

    • @AndrewTBP
      @AndrewTBP Рік тому

      Yes. The _Walking With Monsters_ series made a point of this.

  • @NaturesCompendium
    @NaturesCompendium Рік тому +4

    Excellent episode!

  • @gramsay69
    @gramsay69 Рік тому +2

    _Plot twist:_ *this channel's manager is actually older than Earth.*

  • @mehmetgurdal
    @mehmetgurdal Рік тому +1

    I was JUST thinking about giant millipedes :D perfect timing guys.

  • @Charmander603
    @Charmander603 Рік тому +18

    I wonder. If theoretically we were able to grow giant insects today in an extremely oxygen-rich environment, would those insects then be able to live outside that environment with our current oxygen levels, or would it be totally unsustainable?

  • @veggieboyultimate
    @veggieboyultimate Рік тому +4

    The title made me think that Arthropleura was not the only giant millipede ancestor.

  • @melaniabladeofmiquella
    @melaniabladeofmiquella Рік тому +1

    Absolutely love your videos, thanks again

  • @valentyn.kostiuk
    @valentyn.kostiuk Рік тому +2

    Yeah! Finally it is here! Nice to see new episode! 😀

  • @cintronproductions9430
    @cintronproductions9430 Рік тому +29

    Most people would be freaking out if Arthropleura were still alive today, meanwhile I'd probably keep one as a pet and put a hat on it and take it outside so the kids can interact with it. 😅

    • @huldu
      @huldu Рік тому

      At that size it would probably be keeping you as a pet.

    • @masonloeffler8064
      @masonloeffler8064 Рік тому +8

      Wow you’re so quirky and different

    • @masterchef3019
      @masterchef3019 Рік тому

      That thing would eat your whole family lmao

    • @user-bz6gh5ng2m
      @user-bz6gh5ng2m Рік тому

      Homie noooooo an arthropleura would eat you and your kids with no hesitation.

    • @worsethanhitlerpt.2539
      @worsethanhitlerpt.2539 Рік тому +1

      Kids can "interact" more like run away in horror

  • @purplepothos5794
    @purplepothos5794 Рік тому +43

    As an isopod owner I'm constantly wishing they were as big as an Arthropleura.

    • @sion8
      @sion8 Рік тому

      😂

    • @user-bz6gh5ng2m
      @user-bz6gh5ng2m Рік тому +10

      Homie no you don’t. Those things would eat you without a second thought.

    • @lovemoviesful2
      @lovemoviesful2 Рік тому +5

      No, just no.

    • @teathesilkwing7616
      @teathesilkwing7616 Рік тому +9

      I wouldn’t. Have you thought of the maintenance costs? They’d drive you to bankruptcy

    • @flame-29936
      @flame-29936 Рік тому

      Nice to see another isopod hobbyist in the chat 😁 yes! 8ft rubber duckies!!!

  • @stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369

    I still remember these from Perhestoric Park, man that show tought me some weird and cool stuff

  • @BobbyRossFilm
    @BobbyRossFilm Рік тому

    “It’s free real estate,” just made my week🤣

  • @raccoontrashpanda1467
    @raccoontrashpanda1467 Рік тому +23

    If insects could get that big in the past with similar oxygen levels to what we have today why are all insects today so small in comparison? I'd always been told that insects today were small because of the O2 levels. Did Arthropleura have some sort of rudimentary gill to help absorb more O2 that millipedes have since lost? Do we have any idea how it may have got enough O2?

    • @scottabc72
      @scottabc72 Рік тому +15

      It may have just been really slow, which would be ok if its diet was mostly/all plants but a big problem when vertebrates started showing up and getting bigger

    • @stefanostokatlidis4861
      @stefanostokatlidis4861 Рік тому +7

      Modern insects also have control in their spiracles and can open and close them.
      It is not a big stretch from this to evolve a more active breathing system. Some may have it by now. Millipedes do not have this system, but they have slow metabolism anyway.

    • @Nopenopenope6969
      @Nopenopenope6969 Рік тому +4

      Atmospheric pressure. More pressure = more oxygen absorbed into the giant insects.

    • @MM-we4no
      @MM-we4no Рік тому +1

      Did you not watch the video?? Coz it kinda explained why
      There wasn’t much competition for food nor did they have predators hunting them

  • @stacym4124
    @stacym4124 Рік тому +4

    They were huge!!!

  • @davidgrech4574
    @davidgrech4574 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge and positive energy and hope you have a blessed rest of your week 🙏🌞🌎

  • @ulincsys
    @ulincsys Рік тому +1

    I loved the free real estate reference 🤣

  • @julesgosnell9791
    @julesgosnell9791 Рік тому +8

    Hmmm... I'm wondering why the segments on Arthropleura look like they go beyond structural and appear to be armoured if it had no natural predators. Perhaps crawling around in the undergrowth merits armour ? although plenty of amphibians seem to do it quite happily - maybe it is just structural or maybe we have yet to discover some mega-land-scorpion or spider capable of eating an Arthropleura ?

  • @fanofflight200
    @fanofflight200 Рік тому +4

    Could you maybe cover a video on the competition between bivalves and brachiopods? Thank you!

  • @rondias6625
    @rondias6625 Рік тому +1

    Outstanding.. always looking forward to these videos..best latest up to date information

  • @Blue_J-th2fd
    @Blue_J-th2fd Рік тому +1

    “It’s free real estate!” 🤣

  • @aaronpaine1053
    @aaronpaine1053 Рік тому +15

    I've been a subscriber for a very long time now, and this video finally gave me my 'I told you so' moment. I've argued for nearly two decades that a bulk of the reasoning some arthropods got so big, was primarily, if not almost exclusively, a lack of vertebrate land animals during their initial evolution.
    Yes, I'm bragging a little, it's my turn! 🤣

    • @astick5249
      @astick5249 Рік тому +2

      Coconut crabs are here to have a word

    • @stefanostokatlidis4861
      @stefanostokatlidis4861 Рік тому

      @@astick5249 they are in islands without much competition. Now that humans appeared, they have a hard time.

    • @astick5249
      @astick5249 Рік тому

      @@stefanostokatlidis4861 I think they used to live in some mainland coastal areas but people kept eating them

  • @Kettvnen
    @Kettvnen Рік тому +5

    A video about the evolution of feather and/or fur would be interesting

    • @sherochafernando6346
      @sherochafernando6346 Рік тому +2

      This. I'd also like to know the differences between dinosaur protofeathers and mammalian fur.

    • @user-bz6gh5ng2m
      @user-bz6gh5ng2m Рік тому +1

      Hair. Hair with smaller hairs on it. Hair whose smaller hairs have hairs on them.
      Feathers.

    • @Kettvnen
      @Kettvnen Рік тому

      @@sherochafernando6346 I'd also like to know where they come in the first place, did they evolve from reptilian scales? Or something else?

    • @thomasneal9291
      @thomasneal9291 Рік тому

      @@user-bz6gh5ng2m feathers evolved from scales though... so, no.

    • @sherochafernando6346
      @sherochafernando6346 Рік тому

      @@thomasneal9291 Didn't hair evolve from synapsid scales?

  • @shaddonon
    @shaddonon Рік тому

    Lovely episode! And I love the new energy / delivery / music of the “Eonites” part!

  • @maivaiva1412
    @maivaiva1412 Рік тому

    ngl, "alligator-sized millipede" is a combination of words that's going to follow me around for a while

  • @araara8396
    @araara8396 Рік тому +4

    It’s free real estate 😂😂😂 it was funny both time, I manage to get it lol.
    I would love to see an episode on the Carcharodontosauridae family! I really like them a lot, plus I would love to learn how and why was the Goganotosaurus the only one that got so big, and can it Beat a T-Rex?!?! Lol thanks for all your amazing content!

  • @FloozieOne
    @FloozieOne Рік тому +3

    Would it be possible to create the same atmosphere in the lab and raise millipedes in it to see if they got bigger with each generation? You would need a very large area and would need to fill it with the types of plants they could eat, but since their lifetimes are fairly short, a few decades might turn up some massive bugs.

  • @michaelramone9262
    @michaelramone9262 Рік тому +2

    How can people think the earth is 6000 years old is beyond me

  • @rogerszmodis
    @rogerszmodis Рік тому +1

    I look forward to the video on the time giant millipedes rained.

  • @jackturner7814
    @jackturner7814 Рік тому +61

    Wait - they are missing the biggest question: how did the Giant millipedes get SO big with essentially modern levels of oxygen? Are they implying that high O2 levels weren’t necessary for invertebrate gigantism? Aren’t they also implying that, if all vertebrates died out TODAY, giant arthropods could start getting huge again?
    How did the Arthropleurans get enough oxygen to their body tissues?!

    • @bdeclerc
      @bdeclerc Рік тому +57

      One part of this might be their shape - millipedes are relatively long & skinny which would put most parts of their body relatively closer to the outside world (and oxygen) than arthropods with a more compact body shape. And perhaps they had a slower metabolism than modern arthropods so they just required less oxygen - being so big in a world without big predators and feeding on plants, they might have moved a lot more slowly than modern day tiny millipedes. This wouldn't work for things like the giant dragonflies (which, after all, had to fly, which is a very energetic activity)

    • @harrydavey9884
      @harrydavey9884 Рік тому +10

      @@bdeclerc great point

    • @ian_b
      @ian_b Рік тому +4

      @nemo pouncey But they will escape and multiply anyway and somebody will train them to attack people if you shine lasers at said people.

    • @scottmantooth8785
      @scottmantooth8785 Рік тому +4

      @nemo pouncey *here's something else to consider: Millipedes (the regular size we see today) are not poisonous, but many species have glands capable of producing irritating fluids that may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. The defensive sprays of some millipedes contain hydrochloric acid that can chemically burn the skin and cause long-term skin discoloration...i could only imagine that the volume that would be expelled from one of these gigantic millipedes would be insane and not just burn but most likely dissolve any would be predator*

    • @scottmantooth8785
      @scottmantooth8785 Рік тому +4

      @@ian_b *or the millipedes will be augmented with combat offensive lasers for precisely that very reason*

  • @toddwittie4421
    @toddwittie4421 Рік тому +29

    Isopods have gills so they breath with moist earth. Could these millipedes have had something like gills to get more oxygen instead of relying on absorbing through it's shell?

    • @mortified776
      @mortified776 Рік тому +5

      Isopods are crustaceans while millipedes are myriapods but I still think you might be on to something. Perhaps the early giant myriapods retained some ancestral gill-like structure. Especially considering that they lived in a very humid environment where that sort of respiratory organ works most efficiently.

    • @AndrewTBP
      @AndrewTBP Рік тому +1

      Millipedes don’t do that now. They have spiracles in each segment.

    • @toddwittie4421
      @toddwittie4421 Рік тому +1

      @@AndrewTBP my thought was that trait could have been lost over the millions of years since this mega millipede.
      As they lived more and more on land and in drier circumstances gills would have been less efficient leading them to go away. But that would also explain why they stopped growing as massive.

    • @astick5249
      @astick5249 Рік тому +1

      @@mortified776 The millipedes of today still kept their aversion do dry conditions so i think thy just don't have the best water retention, but they never really need it since they hang out under moist rocks and logs.

  • @Chrisy7
    @Chrisy7 Рік тому

    that blooper was so cuuuteee 😭 I loved that joke

  • @nsl-u-boot8464
    @nsl-u-boot8464 Рік тому

    Great Video! Thanks!

  • @ReinholdOtto
    @ReinholdOtto Рік тому +6

    I thought the idea was not that high oxygen levels supported arthropodes breathing through trachea but rather that lower oxygen levels make large trachea breathers impossible. So how were those even possible at the time?

  • @patpowers9210
    @patpowers9210 Рік тому +19

    She didn't really explained how Arthropleura could breathe in a lower oxygen environment. Clearly our understanding of the limits of arthropod size remains incomplete.

    • @Jennifer-lt6wg
      @Jennifer-lt6wg Рік тому +3

      Agreed, I'm curious if there are any theories on that. Time to see if I can find any science sites with an article on the topic.

    • @Zveebo
      @Zveebo Рік тому +10

      They don’t know yet. Still early days in trying to understand it.

    • @desiderata8811
      @desiderata8811 Рік тому

      The bug had a pump inside itself to pull oxygen through the respiratory tubes. Easy, isn’t it?

    • @Jennifer-lt6wg
      @Jennifer-lt6wg Рік тому +2

      @@Zveebo Understood. I was just curious if alternate explanations and ideas existed before they found this giant. Things that may have been dismissed as less likely that could be reconsidered now or are they starting at the beginning again due to how unexpected it was.

    • @Jennifer-lt6wg
      @Jennifer-lt6wg Рік тому +4

      @@desiderata8811 Many different possibilities really. I was just hoping to see an educated guess from someone who specializes in millipedes and similar as I am not an expert. Was it a pump as you suggest? Did it have more tubes than usual to distribute the oxygen? Did it always have to keep moving like a shark to get more airflow through it (did it have an intake where that would even help)? Did it have a much slower metabolism that allowed it to operate on less oxygen? Did it have symbiotic bacteria that added oxygen to its bloodstream? We may never know for sure, but it's interesting to think about it.

  • @kuitaranheatmorus9932
    @kuitaranheatmorus9932 Рік тому +1

    This is just so amazing

  • @Bioblitz1997
    @Bioblitz1997 Рік тому +1

    Been waiting for this one for years

  • @exomake_mehorololo
    @exomake_mehorololo Рік тому +10

    We need more Carboniferous content 👀👀 it's such an interesting period and gets overlooked. Yes to giant insects

    • @nicholaslewis8594
      @nicholaslewis8594 Рік тому

      At least a quarter of the videos at least reference it, but then again it’s pretty awesome so agreed😂

  • @MattPerdeck
    @MattPerdeck Рік тому +9

    I understand this arthropod didn't have competition initially. Still, with its size, how was it able to get enough oxygen into its system seeing the atmosphere didn't have much more oxygen than it has today?

    • @bunclecar9246
      @bunclecar9246 Рік тому +2

      I understand it's believed that the oxygen level in the atmosphere than now This would have caused flash fires but would have allowed enough oxygen into the bodies of giant diffusion breathers like flies with 2m wingspans

    • @ian_b
      @ian_b Рік тому +3

      @@bunclecar9246 As stated in the video, estimated oxygen level at the time was only a little higher than today, so that can't be the answer.
      Maybe the giants evolved biological systems to enhance their respiration that aren't seen in modern arthropods and didn't fossilise.

  • @daniels.6322
    @daniels.6322 Рік тому +2

    *whisper* "...it's free real estate." 😏

  • @Kabup2
    @Kabup2 Рік тому +1

    Thanks for another video, you are my favorite channel on UA-cam.

  • @justdavedoindavestuff3479
    @justdavedoindavestuff3479 Рік тому +4

    I still wondering what happened to "and Steve". It will forever be a mystery.

  • @Xakaran
    @Xakaran Рік тому +5

    Don’t worry, more of us got the “free real estate” reference than you think. That’s all I can comment on since I’m utterly horrified by the mere concept of an 8 foot anything with more than 4 legs…

  • @60zeller
    @60zeller Рік тому +2

    Wow! It must ha e been tough getting two of those on the Ark

  • @toddv3877
    @toddv3877 Рік тому

    I’ve been waiting for this video!

  • @mark-zuberrodrigues
    @mark-zuberrodrigues Рік тому +6

    Think if this still existed and was found at your backyard.

  • @ursaltydog
    @ursaltydog Рік тому +6

    There was likely more CO2 in the air as well, and at the equator drove much plant life growth, helping the millipede have super abundance of food.

  • @thehuman2cs715
    @thehuman2cs715 Рік тому

    I love Arthropleura so much, thanks for making this video on it!

  • @zirion8446
    @zirion8446 Рік тому

    I love how PBS Eons recycles the same images over and over, but the narration is so good that sometimes I not even notice.