Meganeura

Meganeura ("large-nerved") was a large relative of the dragonflies that lived in the Carboniferous.

Description
Meganeura was not actually a dragonfly as commonly stated. Instead, it should technically be called a "griffenfly", as part of the order Meganisoptera. Meganeura had a wingspan of up to 75 centimeters (newer estimates indicate 1 meter), one of the largest known flying insect species after its relative Meganeuropsis.

How insects achieved this size during the Carboniferous is a subject of fierce debate. The first and most popular theory proposed that, when Meganeura and its relatives lived, the oxygen level was much higher than today. However, large insects also occurred in the Late Permian, when the oxygen level was lower than in previous years.

It has also been suggested the lack of aerial predators may have encouraged insects to evolve large sizes, in order to fill this niche.

Classification
Meganeura was part of the order Meganisoptera, which became completely extinct during the Permian period.

Discovery
Fossils of Meganeura were first discovered in a French coal mine. In 1885, Charles Brongniart described the species. Its name refers to the network of veins on its wings.

Paleobiology
It is assumed that Meganeura was a predator, like modern dragonflies, and evidence seems to suggest it prayed on small lizards and could even have been cannibalistic.