Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Remains of Giant Turtle Discovered – No Teens or Mutants, though
The discovery of the remains of a giant turtle has become the subject of a lot of attention recently, given how much of a “giant” the discovery was – estimated to be as big as a small car when it was alive.
Found in the dig-site of a Columbian coal mile, the fossilized remains of a giant Carbonemys cofrinii (AKA Coal Turtle) is estimated to be 60 million years old, with the giant turtle prowling the earth with massive powerful jaws.
Researches also noted the presence of another fossil close to the proximity of the giant turtle, the shell of another turtle of the same species, which measures five feet and seven inches wide.
"It's like having one big snapping turtle living in the middle of a lake. That turtle survives because it has eaten all of the major competitors for resources," shares Researcher, Dan Ksepka of North Carolina State University, referring to the setup the fossilized remains were found.
The giant turtle discovery falls in line with the area’s reputation for gigantic creatures being present at the time, with records even indicating that one of the largest snake fossils ever found hails from the same area, estimated to have been alive some 60 million years ago.
The giant turtle, given its size, was in the position to basically devour anything it could grab hold, as the image of the giant turtle wrestling with a crocodile comes into mind. The turtle is winning, of course.
With a skull comparably as large as football player’s helmet, the power of its jaws would have been really strong, and as it size is massive, the allusion of a Classic Volkswagen Beetle would understandably come up, when talking about the giant turtle’s car-comparable comparison.
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