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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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