An Ancient Turtle Shell Was Found in Venezuela and It Belongs to the Largest Turtle Who Ever Lived
When we think about the creatures that lived millions of years ago, we think about dinosaurs. Extraordinarily large creatures that would dominate the land and the oceans if they still existed today. Recently, scientists unearthed the remains of a turtle shell that would make any known living species look minuscule in comparison.
According to a recent study, scientists uncovered the largest complete remains of a turtle shell, and it's dated back about 8-million years. The giant's shell is almost 8 feet in length (about 2.4 meters).
Discover our latest podcast
The animal, known as Stupendemys geographicus, a freshwater turtle, would have lived in the northern parts of South America during a period known as the Miocene epoch. A period which lasted about 7 million years and ended approximately 5 million years ago.
More under this adMore under this adResearches have known about this giant species since 1976, however, at that time they did not know much. Thanks to these new findings, more light has been shed on this once-forgotten creature.
After examining the new fossils found in the La Tatocoa Dessert researchers made a surprising new discovery. Males of the species were said to have horn-like weapons towards their upper shells, likely for male-on-male combat for territory or mating.
More under this adMore under this adAnother shell contained a tooth from a species of crocodile. Which means that despite their gargantuan size, these turtles may have still been hunted by predators of the time.