Gigantic turtle from the dinosaur era was almost 4 metres long

2 years ago 99

Leviathanochelys aenigmatica, which lived sometime betwixt 72.1 cardinal and 83.6 cardinal years ago, is 1 of the largest marine turtles ever found

Life 17 November 2022

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

An past taxon of turtle whose remains person been discovered successful Spain is the largest marine turtle ever recovered successful Europe.

The turtle, which has been named Leviathanochelys aenigmatica, was up to 3.74 metres long. It lived sometime betwixt 72.1 cardinal and 83.6 cardinal years ago, astir the aforesaid clip arsenic dinosaurs specified arsenic Velociraptor.

Fragments of the fossil were archetypal recovered by a hiker successful 2016 successful Coll de Nargó, a colony successful the Catalonia region. The remains were dug up and collected by section authorities and depository officials.

In 2021, Àngel Luján astatine the Autonomous University of Barcelona and his colleagues conducted much excavations of the country and discovered that the fossil really belonged to a caller taxon of turtle. During this excavation, the squad realised that the turtle’s 90-centimetre-wide pelvis had 2 bony bulges connected its front, dissimilar immoderate different turtle pelvises antecedently described.

The turtle is the second-largest marine turtle ever discovered and the largest to person been recovered successful Europe.

The biggest marine turtle ever discovered, Archelon, was recovered successful North America and is estimated to person had a assemblage magnitude of 4.6 metres.

“Our find besides indicates that gigantic marine turtles evolved respective times successful distinctive families,” says Luján.

The turtle astir apt had a akin fare to different marine turtles, specified arsenic sponges, algae and barnacles, helium says.

It is unclear precisely wherefore these turtles grew truthful big, but Martin Sander astatine the University of Bonn successful Germany suggests that elephantine antheral turtles whitethorn person had amended reproductive success. “Giant turtles astir apt dispersed each implicit the satellite similar leatherback turtles today,” helium says.

Luján says helium expects determination to beryllium galore much discoveries of past elephantine turtles successful Europe. He says determination are galore fragmentary remains of specified turtles successful countries similar Italy and the Czech Republic, but they aren’t arsenic intact arsenic the turtle his squad discovered.

“We are optimistic and we judge that it is imaginable to find much elephantine turtle taxon successful Europe,” helium says.

The uncovering besides hints astatine the anticipation of uncovering much elephantine turtles successful North Africa. “Southern Europe and North Africa shared respective faunas, some marine and terrestrial, during the Late Cretaceous, betwixt 80 and 66 cardinal years ago,” says Luján. “Because of that, it would beryllium not astonishing to observe caller gigantic marine turtles successful these regions.”

Journal reference: Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22619-w