Paleoart of the huge scorpion Pulmonoscorpius pursuing reptiliomorph Westlothiana. Westlothiana was once believed to be the first true reptile (or rather, amniote). More recent analyses suggest it was a reptiliomorph tetrapod, one of the earliest uncontested ones. Fun fact - I definitely drew the guy too small, so I chose to make it a young one. Checking their developmental history, it's unclear if this is possible. Seymouria, a fellow reptiliomorph, likely metamorphosed early in life, hinting at the possibility of "miniaturized adults" - but this was in response to the dry Permian environment. Might a Westlothiana at this stage be, in fact, a tadpole? Pulmonoscorpius was a scorpion approximately the size of a cat. Its large eyes implies it was using its vision to hunt, scuttling across forest floors in pursuit of its prey. Like most modern arachnids, Pulmonoscorpius has book lungs, making it firmly terrestrial.
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