Biology:Carbonemys
Carbonemys cofrinii is an extinct giant podocnemidid turtle known from the Middle Paleocene Cerrejón Formation of the Cesar-Ranchería Basin in northeastern Colombia. The formation is dated to approximately 60 to 57 million years ago, beginning about five million years after the K-Pg extinction event.[1]
Discovery and Naming
In 2005, Edwin Cadena, a doctoral student from North Carolina State University, discovered the holotype specimen in the Cerrejón coal mine. The genus name, meaning "Coal Turtle," is derived from Carbon" Latin for "coal" and "emys" Greek for "freshwater turtle," a reference to the coal mine from which the fossil was extracted. The specific epithet honors Dr. David Cofrin.
Description
The Carbonemys holotype had a shell that measured approximately 1.72 metres (5 ft 8 in), estimated at 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) for a complete carapace.[1] This would place it among the world's largest turtles, tied with the Quaternary Peltocephalus maturin and Eocene Drazinderetes in carapace length, and exceeded only by the Cretaceous protostegids, the Miocene Stupendemys, and two Quaternary testudines (Megalochelys and Titanochelon).[2][3][4][5]
Paleobiology
Carbonemys’s relatively massive jaws[1] suggest it possessed a powerful bite. It was likely a carnivore, consuming anything from mollusks to smaller turtles or even crocodylomorphs, which were diverse and abundant in its neotropical freshwater habitat.[6][7] Its cohabitants included other turtles like the smaller podocnemid Cerrejonemys, giant boid (constrictor) Titanoboa, and crocodylomorphs such as the dyrosaurids Cerrejonisuchus, Acherontisuchus, and Anthracosuchus.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cadena, E. A.; Ksepka, D. T.; Jaramillo, C. A.; Bloch, J. I. (2012). "New pelomedusoid turtles from the late Palaeocene Cerrejón Formation of Colombia and their implications for phylogeny and body size evolution". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10 (2): 313–331. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.569031. Bibcode: 2012JSPal..10..313C. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233777134.
- ↑ "Researchers reveal ancient giant turtle fossil". 17 May 2012. http://phys.org/news/2012-05-reveal-ancient-giant-turtle-fossil.html.
- ↑ Maugh II, Thomas H. (18 May 2012). "Researchers find fossil of a turtle that was size of a Smart car". LA Times. https://www.latimes.com/science/la-xpm-2012-may-18-la-sci-sn-largest-turtle-20120518-story.html.
- ↑ Ferreira, G. S.; Nascimento, E. R.; Cadena, E. A.; Cozzuol, M. A.; Farina, B. M.; Pacheco, M. L. A. F.; Rizzutto, M. A.; Langer, M. C. (2024). "The latest freshwater giants: a new Peltocephalus (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) turtle from the Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian Amazon". Biology Letters 20 (3). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0010. PMID 38471564.
- ↑ Head, J.J.; Raza, S.M.; Gingerich, P.D. (1999). "DRAZINDERETES TETHYENSIS, A NEW LARGE TRIONYCHID (REPTILIA: TESTUDINES) FROM THE MARINE EOCENE DRAZINDA FORMATION OF THE SULAIMAN RANGE, PUNJAB (PAKISTAN)". Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology University of Michigan 30 (7): 199–214. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30849416.
- ↑ "Car-sized Turtle Found in Colombian Coal Mine : Discovery News". Discovery News. News.discovery.com. 2012-05-18. http://news.discovery.com/animals/car-sized-turtle-found-in-colombian-coal-mine.html.
- ↑ Freeman, David (17 May 2012). "Turtle Fossil Found In Colombia Suggests Carbonemys Cofrinii Was Size Of Small Car". Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/turtle-fossil-colombia-carbonems-confrinii-car_n_1524960.
Template:Testudines Template:Paleontology in Colombia Wikidata ☰ Q144470 entry
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