Jaekelopterus was a predatory aquatic arthropod of the order of
eurypterids, often called sea scorpions. Its claws and compound eyes
indicate it was active and powerful with high visual acuity, most likely
an apex predator in the ecosystems of Euramerica. Fossils have been
discovered from roughly 400 million years ago, during the Early
Devonian. There are two known species: the type species J. rhenaniae
from brackish to fresh water strata in the Rhineland, and J. howelli
from estuarine strata in Wyoming. Based on isolated fossil remains from
the Klerf Formation of Germany, J. rhenaniae has been estimated to have
reached a size of around 2.3–2.6 metres (7.5–8.5 ft), making it the
largest arthropod ever discovered. J. howelli was much smaller, reaching
80 centimetres (2.6 ft) in length. In overall appearance, Jaekelopterus
was similar to other pterygotid eurypterids, with enlarged pincers and
forelimbs. The genus was named for German paleontologist Otto Jaekel,
who described the type species.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaekelopterus>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1881:
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most famous
shootouts of the American Old West, took place in Tombstone, Arizona,
between Ike Clanton's gang and lawmen led by Wyatt Earp.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral>
1909:
An Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist, assassinated Itō
Hirobumi, the president of the Privy Council of Japan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Jung-geun>
1977:
Somali hospital cook Ali Maow Maalin began displaying symptoms
of smallpox, becoming the last person to be naturally infected by the
disease.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Maow_Maalin>
2001:
President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law,
significantly expanding the authority of law enforcement agencies in
fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
sheepshank:
(nautical) A type of knot which is useful for shortening a rope or
taking up slack without cutting it.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sheepshank>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
As the history majors among you here today know all too well,
when people in power invent their own facts and attack those who
question them, it can mark the beginning of the end of a free society.
That is not hyperbole. It is what authoritarian regimes throughout
history have done. They attempt to control reality. Not just our laws
and our rights and our budgets, but our thoughts and beliefs.
--Hillary Clinton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton>