10.31.2012

Massive Jurassic Turtle Graveyard Discovered In China


Scientists have discovered an enormous Jurassic turtle graveyard in China’s northwest province of Xinjiang.

Based on Live Science, the Jurassic turtle graveyard includes about 1,800 ancient turtle skeletons.

Walter Joyce, a fossil turtle specialist in the College of Tübingen in Germany, stated:

“This site has most likely a lot more than bending the known quantity of individual turtles in the Jurassic.”

Scientists think that the turtles most likely died of lack of fluids while awaiting rain in a watering hole about 160 million years back. Once the rain finally came, after the majority of the turtles passed away, a river of dirt rushed in to the watering hole and produced an enormous turtle graveyard.

Joyce stated the Jurassic Turtle Graveyard can help scientists classify ancient turtles that resided in Jurassic Asia.

Joyce stated:

‘We know from living microorganisms that people of some species look much the same, whereas people of other species show lots of variation. Like a paleontologist, therefore, it is always hard to assess in case your fossil looks not the same as others since it is a brand new species, or since it is a part of a previously known, but variable species. With data in the new site we'll finally have the ability to more carefully assess designs of diversity of turtles within the Jurassic of Asia.”

Live Science reviews the turtle shells in the Jurassic graveyard are 8 inches lengthy. Scientists state that you will find a lot of turtles that they're finding about 36 fossils for each square meter.

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