Sixty million years ago, the northern part of America became a haven for the size of a car turtle. The skull measures 24 centimeters as big as the ball used in American football. And the shell measures 172 centimeters, or about five and half feet long.
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| Scientists have found an ancient turtle the size of a small car fossil in Columbia. (Picture from: http://earthsky.org/) |
Its jaws were large and powerful that it can take an animal, such as snails, turtles normally, even alligators. "Turtles are eating everything," says paleontologist from North Carolina State University, Daniel Ksepka, through a press release yesterday (May 21, 2012) on the university site.
Turtle fossil was announced by the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The experts call this the Carbonemys cofrinii aka coal giant tortoise. Animal fossils are found preserved in coal mining areas in Colombia, seven years ago.
Coal turtle put into the long-necked turtle, commonly known as pelomedusoide. These types of turtles live in fresh water and its uniqueness in the neck that can not be thoroughly incorporated into the shell.
In the discovery of C. cofrinii, researchers did not find a similar-sized turtles. This fact indicates that the giant tortoises require a very large hunting area to satisfy their appetite. "Like a turtle ruler of a lake," he said.
Researchers believe that a combination of changes in the ecosystem, including fewer predators, a larger habitat area, plentiful food supply and climate changes, worked together to allow these giant species to survive. Carbonemys’ habitat would have resembled a much warmer modern-day Orinoco or Amazon River delta.
Normal turtle fossils near the fossil showed a lot of alligator bite scars. That is, the crocodile is eyeing a turtle as prey. However, dealing with coal turtles, alligators would become prey.
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