Japan discovered 70 million-year-old fossil turtle

Japanese researchers say they have found the head of a fossilized sea turtle about 70 million years old.

Japanese scientists are introducing fossils of ancient turtles.(Photo: NHK)

The first part of this turtle is still in almost perfect shape and is the first fossil of this species to be found in the world.

The face outline, as well as the shape of the fossilized eyes and nose are quite obvious.

This fossil sample was found by an amateur fossil hunter in western Japan five years ago in Sumoto City, Hyogo Prefecture.

But so far, its date has been determined to belong to the Cretaceous period. The researchers determined it seemed to be the ancestor of the current leatherback turtle.

Professor Ren Hirayama of Waseda University said that the valuable finding could help researchers understand the life of sea turtles as well as in the study of evolution.