Meganeura is the largest know flying insect, ever to have lived on Earth. It bares close resemblance to the modern day dragonfly, but with a massive wingspan of 2 ½ feet.
Though it lived in the carboniferous era between 350 to 280 million years ago, experts in the field today are still in a quandary as to how this creature could have even existed, let alone fly with wings and dynamics that size. French scientists Harlé and Harlé stated in 1911 that it would be physically impossible for such a creature to exist given what we know of today’s gravity and atmosphere.
Fossils of gigantic prehistoric dinosaurs have fascinated mankind for many years, and the debate over how these titans of the land and sea became extinct still exists today. But few if any, question ‘why’ or ‘how’ these creatures ever existed in the first place.
Admittedly, this is largely due to that fact, that fossils prove they existed, and that little further questioning is required. However, why then is it that no colossal beasts, like those from millions of years ago, exist today? And not just animals, but plants, trees and vegetation, which in prehistoric times were as gargantuan as the creatures inhabiting the Earth now seem diminutive in comparison with those of modern day.
So why has everything become so small, and how did such huge creatures and plant life ever exist all that time ago?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's examine some of the more popular theories as to ‘why’ dinosaurs became extinct.
No comments:
Post a Comment