Fossil of Small-Sized Sea Turtle Unearthed in Spain

Discovered in Cal Torades, Spain... Estimated to have lived 83 million years ago
New species previously unknown, reaching a body length of 3.74m

An illustration of the ancient sea turtle 'Leviathanochelis aenigmatica' excavated in Spain. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A research paper has been published on a new species fossil of a sea turtle estimated to have reached a body length of 3.74 meters, making it the largest sea turtle ever excavated in Europe.

This fossil, found in Cal Torades in northeastern Spain, came to light after six years of excavation work starting in 2016. The fossil was discovered by chance when a hiker walking in the southern Pyrenees found a turtle bone fragment. The Catalonia Department of Culture and local museums began excavations nearby, but progress stalled for several years until last year, when graduate student Oscar Castillo Visa from the Autonomous University of Barcelona started new work and was able to complete the excavation.

Although fragmented, the nearly complete pelvis and parts of the carapace allowed researchers to estimate the turtle's total body length, which they believe reached 3.74 meters. This fossil, representing a new species distinct from previously discovered sea turtles, was named Leviathanochelys aenigmatica, meaning "mysterious giant turtle." Researchers analyzed that Leviathanochelys lived and became extinct during the late Cretaceous Campanian period, approximately 83.6 to 72.1 million years ago. This period was marked by a drop in Earth's temperature, the emergence of angiosperms and polar ice caps, and the era when dinosaurs roamed.

The research team suggests that large sea turtles evolved differently in North America and Europe. Before the discovery of Leviathanochelys, giant sea turtle fossils over 3 meters long, such as Archelon and Protostega, had only been found in North America, while the largest sea turtle species in Europe measured only about 1.5 meters. Protostega and Archelon diverged from the ancestors of modern sea turtles during the Late Jurassic, about 145 million years ago, and are believed to have lived in the western North American waters feeding on soft-bodied animals like jellyfish. Archelon is estimated to have reached a maximum body length of 4.6 meters and weighed approximately 3.2 tons.

The pelvis width of Leviathanochelys measures up to 88.9 cm, nearly 10 cm wider than that of Archelon, but its pelvis length is about 39.5 cm, roughly 7 cm shorter. A distinctive feature of Leviathanochelys' pelvis is its protruding front part, which differentiates it from other sea turtle species and justified its classification as a new species. Researchers speculate that this pelvic shape was related to the respiratory system, potentially helping the giant turtle maximize its breathing capacity at great depths. The paper on this excavation was published on the 17th (local time) in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.

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