The extinct dragonfly-like griffin is the largest known insect species on the planet.
Permian Griffin Fly Meganeura's life-size model.
The largest extant insect species we know today are the Atlas moth (which has the largest wings by surface area, at 160 cm 2 or 25 inches 2), the White Witch Moth (its largest wingspan is close to 30 cm or 12 inches), and the Goliath beetle, the heaviest insect, weighing 115 grams (4.1 oz).
Like most other animal groups, insects tend to have larger ancestors than their contemporaries. Among them, giant griffins, such as Meganeura monyi and Meganeuropsis permiana are the largest known insect species. The creatures have a wingspan of about 75 cm (28 inches) – about three times that of the Atlas moth. Their maximum weight is uncertain, estimated to be between 34 grams and 240 grams, so it is more than twice the size of the Goliath beetle.
Calculated by surface area, the Atlas moth has the largest wings among all existing insects. Image source: Cocos.Bounty/Shutterstock
When you step on a cockroach, it will make a crunching sound, some people like it, some people hate it. It is made from the squeeze and cracking of the exoskeleton and is especially hard for cockroaches. However, in other insects, the exoskeleton is not always as hard as it is, and different parts of the body may have different firmness.
On the other hand, the most elastic body parts of griffons are wings, so they are the most likely parts to become fossils. Therefore, most griffin records are made up of fragmented specimens, with some spectacular exceptions.
Well preserved Meganeuropsis permiana fossil, the largest insect known to the earth.
In the late Carboniferous and late Permian periods of , about 317-247 million years ago, griffons flew over the earth for about 200,000 years, achieving global distribution. Their genera is quite diverse, and scientists often describe new species. However, not all dragonflies are that big—some are within the size of modern dragonflies. However, even by dragonfly standards, others are indeed huge.
Meganeura monyi is the first griffin to be described, based on a fossil wing about 12 inches long. Its wingspan is estimated to be about 27 inches (about 68.5 cm), and it is the largest insect known as the 1895 description. However, in 1939, Frank Carpenter described Meganeuropsis permiana, based on an incomplete but large, found wing divided into two parts. Carpenter estimates the newly discovered species to have a wingspan of 29 inches (nearly 75 cm). A few years later, he described another new griffin, Meganeuropsis americana, with a wingspan similar to M. permiana. Today, experts believe that the two Meganeuopsis are the same and stick to the name of M. permiana. It is this species that holds the record of the largest known insects ever.
The largest Carboniferous arthropod size comparison.
But why are there no such big dragonflies in the world today? What made griffins reach their huge size?
The late Paleozoic era of the Earth was unusual in more than one aspect. During the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods, vast coal swamp forests existed, producing a large amount of oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis . This creates a high oxygen atmosphere with oxygen content far exceeding modern levels.
The environment in which these giant insects live is very different from today.
Since they have no lungs, insects breathe through a series of tubes (tracheals) connected to the outside. Oxygen is absorbed through these tube walls through simple diffusion. As the oxygen content in the atmosphere increases, insects absorb more oxygen, which will allow them to evolve into huge body shapes.The anatomy of the griffin suggests very flexible flight capabilities that require high metabolism and require high oxygen levels.
However, during the Permian period, the oxygen content began to decline, which combined with the increase in drought. Eventually, this could lead to the extinction of these giant insects. The oxygen content in the modern atmosphere is too low to occur similarly huge phenomena in active aerial predatory insects.
life-size giant neural model.
For a long time the griffin existed, they actually dominated the air. Flying vertebrates like bat , birds and pterosaur will take at least another 100 million years to evolve, so there are no more active flighters in the sky to prey on them.
Of course, this also contributed to their long-term existence, according to some theories, even their size
