Pterygotus (Plush by ZHONGXIN MADE)

Pterygotus was a member of the order Eurypterida, often known as sea scorpions. More than a dozen species have been described, with the very largest, P. grandidentatus, being around 1.75 metres long and the smallest, P. kopaninensis, only growing to around 50 cm long. They were a very successful lot, lasting from the Middle Silurian to the Late Devonian and ranging throughout the world’s oceans. All of them were active and deadly predators that used their jagged front claws to capture prey.

Here is the ZHONGXIN MADE plush Pterygotus, the property of my older son. Now, just which of the many species it is, I cannot be certain. It has a body length of 43 cm, 56 including the front pincher claws, so if we consider it to be P. kopaninensis, it is actually about life-sized. And if we consider to be P. grandidentatus, then it is 1:4 scale.

This sea scorpion has a pickle green body, pea green limbs, a grey underbelly, white serrations on the claws, and light green eyes covered in sparkles. A simple, solid colour scheme, and suitable for a marine predator. A mass of pellets can be felt inside the rear half of its body, but the rest is filled with cotton.

The serrations on the inside of the front claws make them look as though they could inflict a painful or even lethal pinch, which is precisely what a real Pterygotus would regularly do to its prey and its rivals way back in the day, but on this toy, they’re made of harmless felt. The mouth parts consist of two simple nubs located between the bases of the pinchers. In order to feed, Pterygotus and other sea scorpions would have first had to use their claws to render their prey items into small bits before placing them in their mouths.

There are eight floppy walking legs that look rather like green beans due to their shapes and the seams running down their length. These are followed by two large, flattened, swept back paddles that serve to propel their owner through the water whenever it needed to. Pterygotus is thought to have been an obligate water dweller; its legs would not have been sturdy enough to support its weight on land for any amount of time. For its part, this toy rests right on its belly.

The large head region, or prosoma, features two small, oval-shaped ocelli up on top and two enormous, domed eyes. The sparkles covering them effectively make it appear as though they are compound eyes. Which is most appropriate given that Pterygotus possessed high visual acuity, comparable to that of modern predatory arthropods.

The dorsal half of the Pterygotus‘ middle section, or opisthosoma, is correctly divided into twelve segments, called tergites. The telson at the very end is large and flattened, with a pronounced keel running down the middle. This would have allowed the telson to serve as a rudder while the animal swam.

Overall, this is a very good plush Pterygotus, well made and accurate, that will certainly please prehistory fans of all ages. My boys sure do enjoy it. It can currently be bought online at Amazon and AliExpress.