What ecological role did eurypterids primarily fill in the Paleozoic aquatic ecosystems?
Answer
Top predator
Sea scorpions held the status of apex predators in their environments for hundreds of millions of years, actively hunting prey like early fish and trilobites.
Related Questions
To which subphylum do sea scorpions (eurypterids) belong?During which geological period did the earliest known eurypterids first appear in the fossil record?At the end of which geological period did the sea scorpions finally vanish from Earth?What is the name often cited for the largest known creature in the class Eurypterida?What was the approximate maximum length reached by the largest eurypterid, *Pterygotus*?What respiratory organs did the vast majority of sea scorpions utilize?Besides spiders, which modern marine arthropod shares a closer evolutionary heritage with sea scorpions within the Chelicerata?What ecological role did eurypterids primarily fill in the Paleozoic aquatic ecosystems?What specialized anatomical features did many eurypterid species evolve to help propel them through water?What unexpected type of environment did fossil discoveries indicate some eurypterid lineages successfully inhabit?