The Meganisoptera, the taxonomic order of remarkably large but now extinct odonates that thrived during the Carboniferous period, included species with wingspans measuring up to 75 cm. Arthropleura, a now extinct genus of Carboniferous period arthropods related to modern millipedes, included members that could reach two and a half meters in length. So why aren’t there any arthropods of such great sizes any longer?
I have walked through some of the world’s great man-made cathedrals, and I have walked through some of the Pacific Northwest’s great old growth forests; between the two, I prefer the forests. Not due to any anti-religious sentiments, mind you, rather because just as many people I know find a connection to the universe whilst praying in magnificent temples of glass and stone, I find that connection whilst sitting quietly – my own manner of prayer, if you will – in magnificent temples of moss and trees.