Carbonemys

Carbonemys cofrinii is an extinct podocnemidid turtle known from the Middle Paleocene Cerrejón Formation of the Cesar-Ranchería Basin in northeastern Colombia. The formation is dated at around 60 to 57 million years ago, starting at about five million years after the KT extinction event.[1]

Carbonemys
Temporal range: Mid-Late Paleocene (Peligran-Itaboraian)
~60–58 Ma
↓
Life restoration of Carbonemys
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Podocnemididae
Genus: †Carbonemys
Cadena et al., 2012
Type species
†Carbonemys cofrinii
Cadena et al., 2012

Discovery

In 2005, the holotype specimen was discovered in the Cerrejón coal mine by a North Carolina State University doctoral student named Edwin Cadena. It had a shell that measured about 1.72 metres (5 ft 8 in), making it one of the world's largest turtles.[2][3]

The jaws of Carbonemys were massive and would be powerful enough to eat crocodilians, that were abundant in the first neotropical forest of the Cerrejón Formation.[4] This turtle coexisted with the giant boid (constrictor), Titanoboa.

References
  1. Cadena, E. A.; Ksepka, D. T.; Jaramillo, C. A.; Bloch, J. I. (2012). "New pelomedusoid turtles from the late Palaeocene Cerrejón Formation of Colombia and their implications for phylogeny and body size evolution". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (2): 313. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.569031. S2CID 59406495.
  2. "Researchers reveal ancient giant turtle fossil". Phys.Org. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  3. Maugh II, Thomas H. (18 May 2012). "Researchers find fossil of a turtle that was size of a Smart car". LA Times. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  4. "Car-sized Turtle Found in Colombian Coal Mine : Discovery News". News.discovery.com. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
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