Paleontologists assemble giant turtle bone from fossil discoveries made centuries apart
Monday, March 24, 2014 - 23:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A broken fossil turtle bone discovered by an amateur paleontologist in 2012 turned out to be the missing half of a bone first described in 1849. The surprising puzzle discovery has led paleontologists from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and the New Jersey State Museum to revise conventional wisdom of how long fossils can survive exposed to surface conditions. It also provides insight into one of the largest turtle species ever known.