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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Oldest Turtle Found; May Crack Shell-Evolution Mystery


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Fossils of Odontochelys semitestacea, a 220-million-year-old primitive turtle (above, an artists rendering), were found recently in China.

The fossils, which do not have fully formed shells, may be the missing link that shows how modern-day turtles evolved their distinctive hard backs, experts said in November 2008.

Illustration courtesy Marlene Donnelly