East Kirkton QuarryEast Kirkton Quarry, or simply East Kirkton, is a former limestone quarry in West Lothian, Scotland, now a renowned fossil site. The quarry is known for terrestrial and freshwater animal fossils; the most fossil-rich layer is dated to around 341 ± 3 million years ago, during the Viséan stage of the Mississippian subperiod (Early Carboniferous Period). The quarry is a 200-meter-long (~650 ft) depression located in the town of Bathgate.
Arthropod legThe arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments (called podomeres) are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa (meaning hip, pl.: coxae), trochanter, femur (pl.: femora), tibia (pl.: tibiae), tarsus (pl.: tarsi), ischium (pl.: ischia), metatarsus, carpus, dactylus (meaning finger), patella (pl.: patellae).
West LothianWest Lothian (Scots: Wast Lowden; Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk.
ScorpionScorpions (orderScorpiones) are predatoryarachnids with eight legs, a pair of grasping pincers (or chelae) and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger. The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back to the Silurian Period, approximately 430 million years ago.
TelsonThe telson (from Ancient Greek τέλσον 'headlands, limit') is the hindmost division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segment on account of not arising in the embryo from teloblast areas as other segments. It never carries any appendages, but a forked "tail" called the caudal furca may be present.
SpeciesBasic unit of taxonomic classification, below genusThe hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A genus contains one or more species. Minor intermediate ranks are not shown.A species (pl. species) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
CarboniferousFifth period of the Paleozoic EraSubdivision of the Carboniferous according to the ICS, as of 2024.Vertical axis scale: Millions of years agoEtymologyName formalityFormalNickname(s)Age of Amphibians or ReptilesUsage informationCelestial bodyEarthRegional usageGlobal (ICS)Time scale(s) usedICS Time ScaleDefinitionChronological unitPeriodStratigraphic unitSystemFirst proposed byWilliam Daniel Conybeare and William Phillips, 1822Time span formalityFormalLower boundary definitionFAD of the ConodontSiphonodella sulcata (discovered to have biostratigraphic issues as of 2006)Lower boundary GSSPLa Serre, Montagne Noire, France43°33′20″N3°21′26″E / 43.5555°N 3.3573°E / 43.5555; 3.3573Lower GSSP ratified1990Upper boundary definitionFAD of the ConodontStreptognathodus isolatus within the morphotypeStreptognathodus wabaunsensis chronoclineUpper boundary GSSPAidaralash, Ural Mountains, Kazakhstan50°14′45″N57°53′29″E / 50.2458°N 57.8914°E / 50.2458; 57.8914Upper GSSP ratified1996Atmospheric and climatic dataSea level above present dayFalling from 120 m to present-day level throughout the Mississippian, then rising steadily to about 80 m at end of periodThe Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoicera that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period 358.86 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Permian Period, 298.9 Ma.
Book lungA book lung is a type of respiration organ used for atmospheric gas exchange present in some arachnids such as scorpions and tetrapulmonates (spiders and whip scorpions). It is a terrestrialadaptation of the book gills seen in aquaticchelicerates such as horseshoe crabs, where the gills are ventralappendages under the abdomen (opisthosoma) arranged into a series of page-like lamellae in order to maximize surface area for diffusion.
SetaLook up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Mississippian (geology)Subdivision of the Carboniferous according to the ICS, as of 2024.Vertical axis scale: Millions of years agoEtymologyName formalityFormalUsage informationCelestial bodyEarthRegional usageGlobal (ICS)Time scale(s) usedICS Time ScaleDefinitionChronological unitSubperiodTime span formalityFormalLower boundary definitionFAD of the ConodontSiphonodella sulcata (discovered to have biostratigraphic issues as of 2006)Lower boundary GSSPLa Serre, Montagne Noire, France43°33′20″N3°21′26″E / 43.5555°N 3.3573°E / 43.5555; 3.3573Lower GSSP ratified1990Upper boundary definitionFAD of the ConodontDeclinognathodus nodiliferusUpper boundary GSSPArrow Canyon, Nevada, United States36°44′00″N114°46′40″W / 36.7333°N 114.7778°W / 36.7333; -114.7778Upper GSSP ratified1996The Mississippian ( ), also known as Lower Carboniferous or Early Carboniferous, is a subperiod in the geologic timescale or a subsystem of the geologic record.
DiurnalityDiurnality is a form of plant and animal behavior characterized by activity during daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The common adjective used for daytime activity is "diurnal". The timing of activity by an animal depends on a variety of environmental factors such as the temperature, the ability to gather food by sight, the risk of predation, and the time of year.
ScotlandScotland (Scots: Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and adjacent islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. In 2022, the country's population was about 5.4 million. Its capital city is Edinburgh, whilst Glasgow is the largest and the most populous of the cities in the country.GenusGenus (; pl.: genera) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. E.g. Panthera leo (lion) and Panthera onca (jaguar) are two species within the genus Panthera.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.