Scientists are astonished to find that this is the fossil of a baby turtle, not a plant.
Recently, IFL Science reported that science can sometimes lead to cases of mistaken identity, especially when uncovering what is found in a fossil. When Colombian priest Padre Gustavo Huertas discovered two small round stones with patterns resembling leaves between the 1950s and 70s, he classified them as fossilized plants. However, in a more recent examination, it was revealed that these stones were not the remnants of ancient plants; they were actually the carapaces of baby turtles.
This is not a plant fossil but actually a baby turtle shell fossil.
Huertas initially considered the fossils to be specimens of the plant species Sphenophyllum colombianum. This was puzzling, as the fossils date back to the early Cretaceous period, and other members of this plant genus are believed to have become extinct over 100 million years before that time.
Upon closer examination of one of the fossils, researchers Fabiany Herrera and Héctor Palma-Castro noted that key plant features, such as its shape and veins, were missing. Instead, it appeared more like bone, as confirmed by paleontologist Edwin-Alberto Cadena, who stated that the fragment was indeed a carapace of a small turtle.
What Huertas might have thought were leaves and stems were actually ribs and vertebrae that formed the shell. More recognizable features were found that could be compared with other turtle species, both modern and fossilized, located outside the shell.
Given the size of the turtle, this is a rare discovery. As Cadena explained, the bones within a juvenile turtle’s shell are very thin and can easily be destroyed. As a result, there aren’t many fossils of baby turtles around.
The researchers determined that this particular turtle species died at around 0 to 1 year old and had a slightly developed shell. They even nicknamed it “Turtwig”, after a small starter Pokémon that resembles a turtle with a sprig on its head.
In addition to providing insights into turtle development during the Cretaceous period, where some species grew up to 4.5 meters (15 feet), the researchers hope their discovery will have broader implications in the field. Herrera shared: “We have solved a small mystery in paleobotany, but more importantly, this research highlights the need to re-examine historical collections in Colombia.”
Palma-Castro added: “Discoveries like this are truly special as they not only expand our knowledge of the past but also open the door to diverse possibilities of what we might uncover.”
The study was published in Palaeontologia Electronica.
