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Prehistoric Life

How wide was Meganeura monyi?

Meganeura monyi had a wingspan of about 70 cm (2 ft 4 in).

What is measured: wingspan

Meganeura monyi (70 cm) drawn to scale beside a bowling pin (38.1 cm) and an adult person (1.7 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Bowling pin (38.1 cm), Meganeura monyi (70 cm) and Adult person (1.7 m).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About 1.8× the height of a bowling pin
  • About 41% of the height of an adult person
  • About 35% of the height of a doorway
  • About 4.8× the height of a smartphone
  • About 8.2× the length of a credit card

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Facts about Meganeura monyi

Meganeura was a giant relative of modern dragonflies that lived during the Carboniferous, when atmospheric oxygen levels were unusually high.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Meganeura”; Natural History Museum, “Meganeura”

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Meganeura monyi
Archaeopteryx50 cm (1 ft 8 in)0.71×
Yi qi60 cm (2 ft)0.86×
Thylacinus cynocephalus60 cm (2 ft)0.86×
Leaellynasaura amicagraphica60 cm (2 ft)0.86×
Acanthostega gunnari60 cm (2 ft)0.86×
Meganeura monyi70 cm (2 ft 4 in)this page
Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis70 cm (2 ft 4 in)same size
Confuciusornis sanctus70 cm (2 ft 4 in)same size
Microraptor gui77 cm (2 ft 6 in)1.1×
Anomalocaris canadensis1 m (3 ft 3 in)1.4×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Meganeura monyi or Archaeopteryx?

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