2023-12-12 15:57:54
This fossil was initially interpreted as being that of a plant. FABIANY HERRERA & HÉCTOR PALMA-CASTRO
The paleontological reserves contain many surprises. This is evidenced by fossils from the collections of the National University of Colombia, in Bogota. They had been classified as leaves of a plant about 120 million years old, of the genus Sphenophyllum, by their discoverer, Gustavo Huertas. This priest, passionate about paleontology, had collected numerous fossils in the Villa de Levya region from the 1950s to the 1970s.
But something didn’t add up: this plant was supposed to have disappeared 100 million years ago. A new analysis, conducted under the direction of Fabiany Herrera (Field Museum, Chicago), reveals that these pieces measuring 5 centimeters in diameter were, in fact, remains of the shells of juvenile turtles, less than 1 year old.
The supposed ribs correspond to the attachments of the animal’s ribs to its protective covering. This study gave rise to a publication in the journal Palaeontologia Electronicathe December 7, the first signatory of which was Hector Palma-Castro, young paleobotanist at the National University of Colombia.
#Colombian #plant #fossil #turtle