This giant beast is a reconstruction of a eurypterid (yer-ip-ter-id) or sea scorpion. They used to swim in shallow seas across the globe over 400 million years ago. The model displayed is approximately 100 years old and had originally been exhibited in the Museum when it was located in the Education Department Building on Washington Avenue. 

The small fossil specimen next to it is Eurypterus remipes, a species of eurypterid. It is the State Fossil of New York. It became our State Fossil in 1983 and was selected because these rare fossils occur in great numbers in rocks found near Buffalo, Erie County.