Rare Reptiles in Peril: The Surprising Extinction Risk for Unusual Turtles and Crocodiles
New research led by the University of Oxford has revealed that the most endangered turtle and crocodile species are those that are most unique. Their…
Turtle News
Scientists Discover a New Species of Ancient Marine Turtles: Largest Ever Found in Europe
According to a new paper published in Scientific Reports, a recently discovered species of ancient turtle in Spain may have been one of the largest…
Secrets of Longevity Revealed: Scientists Find Species That Essentially Do Not Age
The largest study of its kind reveals that wild turtles age slowly, live long lives, and uncovers several species that practically do not age Jonathan…
Snuggling Sea Turtles Filmed for the First Time
First known filmed footage of the behavior in the elusive marine animal. Do sea turtles canoodle? They do, according to a study published by a…
New Species of Ancient Turtle Discovered: 96 Million-Year-Old Fossil Is Earliest Evidence of Sidenecked Turtles in North America
The discovery of a new species of ancient turtle is shedding light on hard-to-track reptile migrations about 100 million years ago. Pleurochayah appalachius, a bothremydid…
New Turtle Discovered From the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar
A new pelomedusoid turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar provides evidence for convergent evolution of suction feeding among pleurodires. We here describe a new…
Illuminating the Mystery of Sea Turtles’ Epic Migrations
North Pacific loggerhead turtles’ years-long oceanic journeys remain poorly understood. Using data from satellite tracking and other techniques, scientists reveal a unique phenomenon that may…
InvestEggator: Tracking Sea Turtle Egg Traffickers With GPS-Enabled Decoy Eggs
By placing 3D-printed and GPS-enabled decoy sea turtle eggs into nests on the beach, it’s possible to gather key evidence needed to expose rampant illegal…
Sea Turtles Complete Impressive Feats of Navigation Despite Surprisingly Crude “Map”
Since the time of Charles Darwin, scientists have marveled at sea turtles’ impressive ability to make their way — often over thousands of kilometers —…
Absolutely Massive Extinct Turtle Weighed 2,500 Pounds and Had Giant Horned Shell
The tropical region of South America is one of the world’s hot spots when it comes to animal diversity. The region’s extinct fauna is unique,…
Red-Eared Slider Invaders Are Hurting California’s Native Turtles
In the summer of 2011, visitors to the University of California, Davis, Arboretum may have witnessed an unusual site: small teams of students wielding large…
Turtles Share a Recent Common Ancestor with Birds and Crocodiles
New fossil evidence reveals that turtles share a recent common ancestor with birds and crocodiles. There’s a twist in the turtle timeline. Thanks to new…
Origin of the Turtle Shell
A newly published study from Yale University researchers looks at the origin of the turtle shell, shedding new light on how the turtle shell evolved….
Painted Turtle Genome Reveals Clues to Extraordinary Adaptations
In a newly published study, a large team of biologists describe the genome of the western painted turtle, discovering clues how the painted turtle may…
Chinese Soft Shelled Turtle Evacuates Majority of Urea through its Mouth
When Chinese soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) need to urinate, they open their mouths, according to a new study. As odd as it might seem, this…
Carbonemys Was a Giant Turtle From Late Paleocene
Carbonemys roamed the Earth around the same time as the 40-foot Titanoboa, about 60 million years ago, during the late Paleocene, in the region that…
Turtle Eggs Communicate To Hatch At The Same Time
When Australian river turtles lay their eggs in a hole in a sandy riverbank, there is no good reason that they would hatch at the…
Globe-Trekking Sea Turtle Comes Home
Three years ago, a frigid sea turtle was found in the icy waters of the North Sea. Survival did not look good at the time,…
