Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
425 / Paleozoic
Megatypus
Megatypus schucherti
A wingspan near half a meter made it a major aerial predator.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 307–299 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Carboniferous
- Geographic range
- Airspace above coal swamps · North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Megatypus?
Megatypus (Megatypus schucherti) was an extinct organism known from About 307–299 million years ago, with a range in Airspace above coal swamps · North America.
Life and ecology
Four net-veined wings carried this griffinfly after other insects above wetlands.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Megatypus disappear?
A drying climate, changing oxygen levels and turnover among flying insects are possible context; a specific cause is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Megatypus?
Huge wing impressions and limited body material preserve venation; anatomy follows relatives.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS