#giantbug

Details on Meganeura monyi

Inspired by the gorgeous Atlas Beetle! - - #Kaiju #monster #kaijumonster #giantmonster #bugmonster #giantbug #beetle #atlasbeetle

Color work in progress on Meganeura monyi

Roughly 300 million years ago during the Late Carboniferous the world as we know it was quite different; there were no mammals, no dinosaurs, reptiles as a group were still new. There was only one continent, Pangaea, much of which was covered in huge swamp laden forests. Primitive amphibians dominated the waterways while the land was ruled by super sized bugs. The abundance of plant life during this time is thought to have lead to higher than normal oxygen content in the atmosphere, with levels peaking at 35%, compared to the relatively low levels of today of only 21%. Given that many arthropods do not have lungs and instead absorb oxygen through a series of tube-like structures called trachea. These tubes are spread throughout their bodies, the larger those bodies are the less efficient this system is at absorbing enough oxygen. With oxygen levels being higher during the Carboniferous it is thought that this was the major contributing factor to the increased size of invertebrates during that time. The only flying animals at this time were insects, the largest by far being Meganeura monyi, a relative of modern day dragonflies. Like it's modern day cousins it was a predator, feeding on other insects and small reptiles and amphibians. It's likely that they would dive bomb unsuspecting prey and trap them with spiny structures on their legs. Fossil specimens of Meganeura have been found with wingspans reaching upward of 28 inches, meaning that the largest members of this group would be about the same width as your average door frame. A special, life-sized, version of this is now available on my Patreon for members at the $1 tier and up. https://www.patreon.com/posts/67141694

Work in progress for Meganeura monyi. During the Carboniferous period the world was very different, so much of the landmass was covered in plant life that it lead to more carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere and replaced by oxygen, leading to a oxygen saturation levels peaking at over 35% as opposed to today's 21%. Because of the way they process oxygen, arthopods grew much larger than their modern counterparts and as a result they dominated in many areas where reptiles, mammals, and birds would millions of years later. Meganeura lived during the Late Carboniferous (305 to 299 million years ago). With wingspans reaching over 28 inches, roughly the size of many modern hawks, M. monyi was the apex aerial predator of it's day. They are thought to have preyed on other insects as well as small reptiles and amphibians that lived near the many bodies of water that dotted the landscape.

Enormour Earwig At 94kg and 2.1 meters in length, these armored giants are fast, tough and present two forward facing attacks per round. Are they genetically engineered attack beasts, or a freakish fluke of evolution? Learn more: http://www.outlandarts.com/mutantbestiary1.htm #earwig #insect #giantbug #bughunt #bug #RPG #ttrpg #bestiary #creature #monster #mutantepoch #apocalyptic #postapocalyptic #outlandsystem #outlandarts #mutants #mutant #epoch #TME #wasteland #tabletoprpg #gaming #tabletopgame #rpgart #gamer like #gammaworld or #fallout or #thelastofus #mutantyearzero or #mutantcrawlclassics https://www.instagram.com/p/CLcHt-shk-j/?igshid=1rmc6sbv0c0z9

Giant Diving Beetle At 2.7m length and 188kg, these terrors of the waterway are even known to climb up on shore and grab the unwary. From page 62 of Mutant Bestiary One. http://www.outlandarts.com/mutantbestiary1.htm #waterbeetle #waterbug #bughunt #divingbeetle #giantbug #insect #aquatic #predator #RPG #ttrpg #bestiary #creature #monster #mutantepoch #apocalyptic #postapocalyptic #outlandsystem #outlandarts #mutants #mutant #epoch #TME #wasteland #tabletoprpg #gaming #tabletopgame #rpgart #indiegame #gamer like #gammaworld https://www.instagram.com/p/CLPff8EhND1/?igshid=p0byskat0czg

Carnivorous Grasshopper So named by new era farmers who often fall prey to these house cat sized omnivores, these insects can ravage both field and livestock and number in the hundreds. From page 60 of Mutant Bestiary One. http://www.outlandarts.com/mutantbestiary1.htm #grasshopper #bug #bughunt #insect #giantbug #RPG #ttrpg #bestiary #creature #monster #mutantepoch #apocalyptic #postapocalyptic #outlandsystem #outlandarts #mutants #mutant #epoch #TME #wasteland #tabletoprpg #gaming #tabletopgame #rpgart #indiegame #gamer like #gammaworld or #fallout or #thelastofus #mutantyearzero https://www.instagram.com/p/CLHmIPnhou0/?igshid=yzwmwlvkxpi8