Re: Giant Scorpions and Dino Breath

[Ann & Randy <ashmidt@flash.net>]

>To: dinosaur@usc.edu
>From: Ben Creisler (bh480@scn.org)
>Subject: Giant Scorpions and Dino Breath
>
>In Tom Holtz's reply to a query about giant scorpions, he
>assumed the giant scorpion must have been a eurypterid
>--a giant sea scorpion. However, it's likely the questioner was
>thinking of Pulmonoscorpius, a giant TERRESTRIAL scorpion
>recently discovered in Scotland. This critter could reach about
>70 cm (2.5 ft.) long. The reference is:
>
>Jeram, A. J. 1994. Scorpions from the Visean of East Kirkton,
>West Lothian, Scotland, with a revision of the infraorder
>Mesoscorpionina. Transactions of the Royal Society of
>Edinburgh: Earth Sciences. 84: 281-299.
>
>It was also briefly discussed in New Scientist magazine:
>Taylor, Michael. 1994.  Amphibians that came to stay.
>New Scientist (Feb. 1994) 141 (1912): 21-24.
>
>See David Norman's Prehistoric Life page 109 for
>a picture of a part of a claw of Pulmonoscorpius next to the
>controversial tetrapod (amniote?) Westlothiana. (A word of
>warning based on recent experience. Norman's book mixed up the
>dates on the amphibians Gerrothorax and Paracyclotosaurus,
>which lived during the Late Triassic, NOT the Carboniferous.
>This error caused problems for a yet-to-appear book that
>I did some research for--the artist already had created a
>Carboniferous scene that mixed in Triassic forms,
>using Prehistoric Life as a reference.)
>
>Pulmonoscorpius looked pretty much like modern
>desert-dwelling scorpions but was not nocturnal and
>had large lateral compound eyes designed for hunting
>in daylight. Given its size, it's possible it occasionally
>preyed on the little tetrapods of its day (Early Carboniferous),
>but that's speculation. It had one mean stinger!

Just to clear up any misunderstandings when I asked the question about the
scorpion I did mean land dwelling species( although the sea scorpions are
interesting).
So is it true that these giant arthropods could not survive in todays
atmosphere?  And finally are there any other species of scorpion(besides
Pulmonoscorpius) known that reached lenghs of nearly three feet?
P.S  I will try to refrain from further non dinosaurian questions from now
on.  Its just so hard to get this kind of information anywhere else.
Jonathan