Fossil reveals prehistoric turtle the size of a car that lived in the Amazon.
© G1 Globo • Reuters/BBC • PA MEDIA/BBC
The species Stupendemys Geographicus is believed to have lived in the region between 13 and 7 million years ago. The fossils were found in the Tatacoa desert in Colombia and in the Urumaco region in Venezuela.
The first fossils of the species were discovered in the 1970s, but since then there have been many unknowns about the 4-meter-long animal.
The turtle, which was the size and weight of a sedan car, lived in an immense swamp in northern South America, before the formation of the Amazonas and Orinoco rivers.
The male had horns that pointed forward on both sides of the hull. And deep scars found in the fossils indicate that these horns were probably used as spears to fight opponents.
The researchers say they found a 3-meter-long hoof and a lower jaw bone, which gave them more clues about the animal's food.
They believe that the giant tortoise lived at the bottom of lakes and rivers alongside giant crocodiles - and adopted a diverse diet, based on small animals, vegetation, fruits and seeds.
