UF researchers discover enormous turtle fossil in Northern Colombia

Northern Colombia is proving to be a graveyard of giants as University of Florida researchers have uncovered yet another enormous reptile from the region’s ancient past.

The specimen, a turtle called Carbonemys cofrinii, was named after the coal mine it was discovered in and David Cofrin for his contributions to the excavation.

The giant would have lived alongside beasts like the Titanoboa, a 48 foot long snake, and Acherontisuchus, a crocodile half the size of an RTS bus.

The study, published May 17 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology online, describes a nearly complete upper and lower shell of the turtle, as well as a nearly complete skull.

It would have lived 60 million years ago during the Paleocene era, 5 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Edwin Cadena, who conducted the research at UF while completing his master’s degree, said the turtle was 7 feet long and about 661 pounds.

The largest modern South American turtles weigh about 220 pounds, he said.

Cadena said he uncovered the specimen in the Cerrejón coal mine back in 2.006.

He said it was interesting because it continues the theme paleontologists have uncovered about the warm ecosystem of ancient northern South America.

Jonathan Bloch, study co-author, said that some theories today say ecosystems will have trouble as the earth becomes warmer; however, in ancient northern South America, the warm climate is what these giant reptiles thrived in.

“Sixty million years ago we’re seeing the birth of the tropical rainforest following the extinction of the dinosaurs,” Bloch said.

One question plaguing researchers is why the turtles got as large as they did.

“Why aren’t the freshwater turtles of today’s Amazon just as big?,” Bloch said.

Cadena said he plans to return to Cerrejón, hopefully next summer, to continue the search for new fossils and answers to the big questions.

“Maybe Carbonemys lived longer or grew faster,” Bloch said, “but we don’t know.”