SCIENTISTS UNCOVER THE MYSTERY AS TURTLES GET THEIR CARAPACE

Scientists have discovered the secret of how turtles got their shells

Scientists have long argued about how the turtle got its shell and new fossil remains of the animal, finally opening the missing link. The oldest known remains of turtles are dated within 210 million years, although already have a fully-formed body, without giving a clue to the early evolution of the shell.

Now scientists have verified that Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species that was present 260 million years ago, has great ribs that expanded over time and formed a shell.

Scientists say that the first clue had been identified as early as 2008, when the fossil remains of early Odontochelys semitestacea species of turtles have been found in China. They had quite a shell formed in the stomach, but only partially cover on the back, which consisted of a detailed extended ribs and vertebrae.

Possessing this knowledge, scientists have begun to re-found the samples Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species, which is 40 million years older than Odontochelys semitestacea, which also can be seen in detail extended ribs. South African reptile skeleton fills a gap in the early evolution of turtles.