Scientists in Australia and the US have identified a new species of prehistoric snapping turtle from a fossil that was on display in the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The discovery highlights the potential for uncovering more undiscovered species in museum collections.
Australian and US scientists discovered a new species of prehistoric snapping turtle after re-examining an unidentified fossil on display in a Northern Territory museum. Scientists at the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT say the specimen could be one of hundreds of undiscovered species in the museum's collection.
Scientists have discovered a new species of prehistoric turtle from what was once a lush forest in Central Australia, after re-examining an unidentified fossil on display in the Northern Territory's largest museum. For years, the fossilised turtle shell sat alongside stuffed birds, insects, lizards and marsupials at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). Ever since senior curator and palaeontologist Adam Yates had started at the museum it had caught his eye, as he suspected it was unique. 'I'd had my eye on this particular fossil, but it was on display and I had many other jobs to be getting on with,' he said.In early 2023, Dr Yates was encouraged to re-examine the specimen by an interested turtle expert from the US, herpetologist Mehdi Joseph-Ouni.'I had lots of other projects on the go, so it's one that I would come back to every now and then when I had a spare moment,' he said.When the process was finished, the pair were able to study an unusual protrusion on the underside of the fossil's shell. That led to them discovering the specimen was a completely new species of snapping turtle — a large carnivorous turtle, long extinct, that they named' is made up of multiple bones that are joined together. Of particular interest is the first costal, which is actually a modified rib,' Dr Yates said. 'The way the lower part of the shell joins to the first costal … is really significant and varies a lot in different turtle
PREHISTORIC TURTLE FOSSIL DISCOVERY AUSTRALIA NEW SPECIES SCIENCE
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