| Eurypterus Temporal range: Silurian,
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| Fossil of the type species E. remipes seen from above, Museo Geominero | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Superfamily: | †Eurypteroidea |
| Family: | †Eurypteridae |
| Genus: | †Eurypterus De Kay, 1825 |
| Type species | |
| Eurypterus remipes De Kay, 1825
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| Species | |
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See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Baltoeurypterus Størmer, 1973 | |
Eurypterus (/jʊəˈrɪptərəs/ yoo-RIP-tər-əs) is an extinct genus of eurypterid, a group of organisms commonly called "sea scorpions". The genus lived during the Silurian period, from around 432 to 418 million years ago. Eurypterus is by far the most well-studied and well-known eurypterid. Eurypterus fossil specimens probably represent more than 95% of all known eurypterid specimens.[1]
There are fifteen species belonging to the genus Eurypterus, the most common of which is E. remipes, the first eurypterid fossil discovered and the state fossil of New York.
Members of Eurypterus averaged at about 13 to 23 cm (5 to 9 in) in length, but the largest individual discovered was estimated to be 60 cm (24 in) long. They all possessed spine-bearing appendages and a large paddle they used for swimming. They were generalist species, equally likely to engage in predation or scavenging.
- ^ O. Erik Tetlie (2007). "Distribution and dispersal history of Eurypterida (Chelicerata)" (PDF). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 252 (3–4): 557–574. Bibcode:2007PPP...252..557T. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.05.011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.