A 425-million-year-old fossil millipede from Scotland is the oldest-known ‘bug’ (an insect, arachnid or other related creature), according to new research published in the journal Historical Biology.
Kampecaris obanensis. Image credit: British Geological Survey.
Kampecaris obanensis. Image credit: British Geological Survey.
Named Kampecaris obanensis, the prehistoric millipede lived during the Silurian period, about 425 million years ago.
The ancient creature was a small (2-3 cm in length), short-bodied animal with three recognizable sections.
It likely lived near a lake in a semi-arid forested environment and ate decomposing plants.
Its fossilized remains were unearthed on the island of Kerrera in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.
The specimen is about 75 million years younger than the age other paleontologists have estimated the oldest millipede to be using a technique known as molecular clock dating.
