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Post by magicmuggle01 on Aug 24, 2018 9:31:39 GMT
Ancient fossil turtle had no shell The nearly complete skeleton reveals a complex early history of turtles
Image from BBC Site.
Scientists have found new evidence confirming that turtles once lived without shells.
The almost-complete fossil dates back 228 million years and is bigger than a double bed.
It was discovered in the Guizhou province of south west China Dr Nicholas Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, said: "It looked like a turtle but then lacked everything of the shell underneath and also the one on top."
"It has the scaffolding in place for the shell to go on to but it doesn't have the shell."
"It has a very characteristic beak at the front end."
The ancient reptile has been named Eorhynchochelys sinensis, which means "Dawn turtle with a beak from China".
Read www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45261121
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Post by HRH Queen Talira on Aug 24, 2018 10:24:29 GMT
This is interesting since turtles are characterised by their shells. The earliest-known fully-shelled turtle is Proganochelys from the mid-Triassic of Germany.
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