Archaeologists discovered the ancestral skeleton of a turtle

Scientists have found in southern China the skeleton of an unusual reptile, allowing to learn about the first tortoise on Earth , who lived in the early Jurassic, in the land where the future will be Asia.

Their findings and "ancestral of all turtles" skeleton images were introduced in Nature.

The skeleton of Eorhynchochelys.

"The history of turtles is one of the great mysteries of paleontology over the decades. Finding bones Eorhynchochelys clarifies the situation and helps us understand this reptile," said Olivier Rieppel from the Fields Museum. in Chicago (USA) said.

When studying early Jurassic sediments, forming in southern China about 220 million years ago, Rieppel and his colleagues discovered the bones of an extremely irregular, similar creature. primitive, just like a turtle.

When excavating in Heshantszin town in Guizhou province, scientists saw the two-meter skeleton of the reptile.

This creature is named after Eorhynchochelys sinensis , or "Chinese beak turtle" , has a very long and thin tail, its spine has not yet developed in the apricot layer.

The discovery of Eorhynchochelys sinensis confirms genetic studies show that turtles have relatives of birds and crocodiles today.