The oldest known fossil sea turtlehas been discoverednear the Ithiel Town of Villa de Leyva in Colombia . Dated to around 120 million - years - old , the specimen outdates the antecedently oldest experience good example by 25 million years . The researcher were capable to contemplate an “ almost complete ” skeleton of the animal , plus an additional four skulls and two partially preserve scale , which were actually found in 2007 but had been baby-sit in collections in both Colombia and California since .
The creature assess around two meter long and showed all of the characteristic and traits of forward-looking devil dog turtles , adding an important link in the evolution of turtle . “ The turtleneck draw by us asDesmatochelys padillai sp . originates from Cretaceous sediments and is at least 120 million year old,”saidDr Edwin Cadena , conscientious objector - author of the study to be published in PaleoBios . “ This lends a special importance to every fossil discovery that can impart to clarifying the evolution of the ocean turtles . ”
The evolution of turtles is a convoluted and hotly debated report . With few intermediary fossils showing how they got their shells , it’sdifficult to trace their origin . One theory , based on fossils of theoldest known extinct coinage of turtle , calledOdontochelys , suggests that the mathematical group started to develop their typical anatomyin water , before moving back onto land . This is becauseOdontochelyshad a well - developed plastron , or bottom plate , but lack a shield , or top of the shell .
It’ssuggestedthat this could be because a plastron might be better to protect against underwater piranha that the semi - aquaticOdontochelysfaced , and only when they returned to Din Land did a shield then become necessary , as the predatory threats then came from above . It was then that nautical turtles germinate from fully crush land turtles that had returned to the ocean .
Based on its strong-arm characteristic , Cadena and his colleague have placedDesmatochelysin the turtle mathematical group Chelonioidea . This grouping is still around today , with six out of the seven living species of sea turtle chance within it . This would therefore suggest that the only other living sea polo-neck , the huge leatherback , break up from the other species over 120 million - age - ago , whenichthyosaursandplesiosaurswere still cruise the oceans .
