Today, I want to follow talking about Teruel, because it has been there, where some researchers have found a new species of freshwater turtle.
Toremys Cassiopeia is the scientific name of a new species of freshwater turtle, who have been discovered, through fossils, by paleontologists from Teruel and from the Group of Evolutionary Biology, in the Faculty of Sciences of the UNED. It would be the latest pleurosténida turtle world record.
The fossil of the new species of turtle
The fossil of the turtle in the site of Santa Maria de Ariño
The study, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, by its authors, it has been possible after paleontological recovery and preparation of three turtle fossil specimens, from the site Mina Santa María de Ariño (Teruel), which is exploited by the mining company SAMCA and wherein have also discovered some new dinosaurs, has informed the “Dinopolis Foundation”.
The site, discovered, in 2010, by paleontologists from the Joint Paleontology Foundation Teruel-Dinópolis, who stressed the importance of the new turtle, because it allows complete ecosystem of this area of the Iberian Peninsula, during the Lower Cretáico part (between 113 and 100.5 million years ago).
Toremys should be the most modern pleurosténida Turtle on global record, as derived from Albian sediments are nearly 30 million more modern, than those containing any pleurosténida turtle known until the moment.
The new study provides novel information, to decipher the distribution and evolution of freshwater turtles, in Europe, well the record pleurosténidas Cretaceous turtle is confined to this continent.
The scientific name, of the new turtle, honors such the bull, that is part of the shield of the province of Teruel, as Cassiopeia (Turtle in the novel “Momo”, by Michael Ende), referring to the age, at which it is outside the time range, expected for any representative of its group.
Toremys fossils come from the same site, in which you have discovered new dinosaurs (called Proa and Europelta) and this finding is the eighth new animal, found in Ariño, one of the most important towns, in the mining area of Teruel.
In addition to dinosaurs, at the site of Teruel, were located teeth of theropod dinosaurs (carnivores), two new crocodiles (Hulkepholis plotos and Anteophthalmosuchus escuchae) and three new ostracods (Theriosynoecum arinnoensis, escuchaensis Theriosynoecum and Rosacythere denticulata)
Well, I think it is very interesting for Science and for the history of Humanity. I hope that you think the same and also that you can come to Teruel, if you never have been there.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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