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Thursday, Jul. 18, 2024

Have recent monsoon rains unearthed an ancient, 8-foot-long Arthropleura in Arizona?


no

Arthropleura are an extinct species of millipede-like arthropod. The widely-circulating video of the creature in the Arizona desert has been identified as AI-generated.

Arthropleura, which fossils indicate could reach more than 8 feet long, are thought to have thrived some 300 million years ago. Fossilized tracks and body parts have been found in North America and the United Kingdom. The creatures are believed to have roamed in areas near the equator.

Monsoons can, however, flush out dormant or well-hidden creatures in the desert. Large colonies of normal sized ants and termites are known to thrive after the summer storms.

See a full discussion of this at Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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