Monsters lurk deep in the human psyche as well as the ocean. Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, the Kraken sleepeth. Europe takes its name from a rape by a monstrous aquatic bull. From the Loch Ness Monster to the sea serpent that Perseus slew to save Andromeda, fishy things flounder through fiction. This may have something to do with Man's primeval terror of the element from which life emerged — and children's fear of having their hair washed. From the ocean depths in the real world, explorers are continually pulling to the surface giant squids, the size of ten London bendy buses, and even more lethal.

So the latest vast sea scorpion to be discovered comes as a bit of bathos from the bathysphere. It may have had razor-sharp claws the size of sofas. The thing was evidently longer than the tallest man, and had an omnivorous temper. But its appearance does not prompt screaming SOS for rescue by Captain Nemo or James Bond. It rather suggests a request for a lobster fork, tartare sauce and a napkin tucked into the collar.

And this is because it is only a fossil. The ancient predator was causing havoc millions of years ago. Naturally, we should try not to think about it when immersing our shrinking flesh into the grey-green and greasy Channel. But the fossilised fish finger is no longer a living threat — we hope. However, it is a memento that the Earth retains all human knowledge. Frequent fossils form our complete record. They are a reminder of how, contrary to miserable gloom-mongers, terrestrial and aquatic things have generally got better, at any rate for soft-shelled human bipeds.