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Prehistoric Life

How long was Arthropleura armata?

An adult Arthropleura armata had a total length of about 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in).

What is measured: Adult, head to tail length

Arthropleura armata (2.6 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Doorway (2 m), Arthropleura armata (2.6 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 2 would fit end to end along a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 1.3× the height of a doorway
  • About 4 would fit end to end along a city bus
  • About 1.5× the height of an adult person
  • About 9 would fit end to end along a tennis court

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Facts about Arthropleura armata

Arthropleura was a giant millipede relative that lived in Carboniferous forests and could exceed two meters in length.

Source: Natural History Museum — Arthropleura; Cambridge University — Arthropleura fossil research

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Arthropleura armata
Triceratops horridus2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)0.92×
Parapuzosia seppenradensis2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)0.96×
Pterodaustro guinazui2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)0.96×
Maiasaura peeblesorum2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)0.96×
Arthropleura armata2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)this page
Mammut americanum2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)1.1×
Hieraaetus moorei3 m (9 ft 10 in)1.2×
Mussaurus patagonicus3 m (9 ft 10 in)1.2×
Aepyornis maximus3 m (9 ft 10 in)1.2×
Kelenken guillermoi3 m (9 ft 10 in)1.2×

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