Researchers of the University of Zurich (UZH) and fellow researchers from Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil have now reported exceptional specimens of the extinct turtle recently found in new locations across Venezuela and Colombia. The microbiome: How bacteria regulate your health. Paleobiologists from the University of Zurich have discovered exceptional specimens in Venezuela and Colombia of an extinct giant freshwater turtle called Stupendemys. Named Stupendemys geographicus and twice as big as the largest turtle alive today, it may even have weaponised its eight-foot long shell in fights to the death with rivals. The turtle had an estimated body mass of 1,145 kg—almost one hundred times that of its closest living relative, the big-headed Amazon river turtle. Meet NASA's latest Mars Rover: Will Perseverance find life in 2021? One of its inhabitants was Stupendemys geographicus, a turtle species first described in the mid-1970s. The authors also suggest Stupendemys may have achieved such unparalleled size due to the presence of warm, extensive wetland and lake habitats. Five to ten million years ago, this was a humid swampy region teeming with life. Photo: University of … Click here to sign in with ‘This suggests they needed protection from other lurking giants.’. At the time the continent was a ‘lost world’ of bizarre oversized creatures – including enormous rats and alligators. Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access. The animal lived across the whole of the northern part of South America. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, significantly expand the known range of Stupendemys which plodded around northern South America during the late Miocene. Covid-19 news: One in 170 people in England have coronavirus, Physicists have discovered the ultimate speed limit of sound. NEW fossils of the largest non-marine turtle to have ever lived have been discovered in the Tatacoa desert in Colombia. Furthermore, the new discoveries and the investigation of existing fossils from Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela indicate a much wider geographic distribution of Stupendemys than previously assumed. Your feedback will go directly to Science X editors. In some individuals, the complete carapace showed a peculiar and unexpected feature: horns. Giant caimans, in the same family as alligators, stalked the wetlands of modern-day Venezuela and Colombia, slinking along at 30 feet in length, snout … Find out in Science with Sam, Dick Johnson Is Dead review: A moving tragicomic film about dementia, Rat that uses whiskers to hunt underwater prey is really four species, Asteroid Bennu was once part of a space rock with flowing water, Videos of over 200 science talks plus weekly crosswords available exclusively to subscribers. Lead author Professor Edwin Cadena said ‘The now-extinct animal is the largest land turtle of all time. THE FOSSILS of giant turtles twice the size of a human and 100 times heavier than their closest relative have been discovered in South America. The immune system: can you improve your immune age? Giant turtle 100 times heavier than its closest relative. These include the biggest complete turtle shell ever found, a 2.4-metre-long carapace that is more than twice the size of the largest living turtle, the leatherback sea turtle. Medical Xpress covers all medical research advances and health news, Tech Xplore covers the latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, Science X Network offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. Stupendemys was unearthed at an animal graveyard known as the La Venta archaeological site in the Tatacoa Desert of Colombia. Your opinions are important to us. Sánchez and his colleagues studied the newly found fossils alongside several other specimens discovered in 1994. Prof Cadena said: ‘Massive crocodiles may also have influenced the turtle’s evolution, with bite marks on some specimens – including a lone crocodile tooth protruding from a carapace. Prof Cadena said: ‘This is a feature that may have served to protect their massive skulls when engaged in combat with other males.’. Some extinct South American animals of the time reached giant proportions because of these unique conditions during the Late Miocene, some 10 million years ago. The ultimate speed limit of sound whole of the largest land turtle of all time in! Log in with ‘ this suggests they needed protection from other lurking giants. ’ the ultimate speed of! ‘ lost world ’ of bizarre oversized creatures – including enormous rats alligators. Extinct giant freshwater turtle called Stupendemys the northern part of South America with life, giant turtle shell found wetland lake... 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