A giant turtle, one of the largest identified to date, has been discovered in South America. The fossils belong to Stupendemys geographicus, which lived approximately 5–10 million years ago during the Miocene and was the size of a car.
A newly discovered giant turtle was the size of a car Stupendemys geographicus lived in South America approximately 5–10 million years ago, during the Miocene. It reached up to 3 metres in length and weighed up to 1,100 kg.
The fossilised remains were found in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert and the Urumaco region of Venezuela. Examination of the carapaces and lower jaws showed that, in addition to their enormous size, males had two horn-like projections on the carapace near the neck. These structures were characteristic of males and are thought to have served a defensive function. Deep marks on the fossilised carapaces support the hypothesis that the horns were used during confrontations with other males.
The fossil lower jaws provide clues to the giant turtles’ diet. It consisted mainly of small animals, such as fish, snakes and caimans, as well as molluscs and plant material, particularly fruits and seeds.
Despite its enormous size, Stupendemys geographicus was vulnerable to predators. It lived alongside giant crocodilians, including the caiman Purussaurus (up to 11 metres in length) and the gharial Gryposuchus (up to 10 metres in length). One fossil of Stupendemys geographicus was found with a 5 cm crocodilian tooth embedded in it.
The cause of this species’ extinction remains unknown. It may have been related to the uplift of the Andes, which separated the Amazon, Orinoco and Magdalena river systems and disrupted its habitat. The closest living relative of Stupendemys geographicus is the Amazonian turtle Peltocephalus dumerilianus.
The largest turtle identified to date is Archelon, which lived approximately 70 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous and reached about 4.6 metres in length. Stupendemys geographicus was first described in 1976 by palaeontologist Roger Wood, but the newly discovered fossils reveal the full extent of its size. This giant turtle is therefore the second-largest turtle discovered to date.
Sources: National Post, BBC, Sci News
