sea scorpion

noun

Ichthyology.

1. scorpionfish.

sea scorpion

noun

1. any of various northern marine scorpaenoid fishes of the family Cottidae, esp Taurulus bubalis ( long-spined sea scorpion ). They have a tapering body and a large head covered with bony plates and spines

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea scorpion¹

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

Known as Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, the sea scorpions were nearly 8 feet in length and had enormous claws with which they used to catch their prey, according to the study.

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There, they may have encountered mollusks, trilobites and fearsome sea scorpions.

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In the Devonian period—hundreds of millions of years ago—it was filled with sea lilies, sea scorpions, armor-plated monster fish, forests of glass sponges, and patch reefs of strange corals.

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And unlike its modern-day namesake, which strikes its prey with an over-the-back movement, the long-extinct sea scorpion would have likely brandished its tail from side to side. 

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Scientists have unearthed the oldest known species of a long-extinct group known as sea scorpions, a find that could mean the ancient creatures may have an even older origin than previously thought.

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