7.5-million-year-old turtle fossil to be exhibited

KAYSERI

The 7.5-million-year-old turtle fossil, which was found in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri three years ago and many parts of which were completed after cleaning, will be exhibited at the Paleontology Museum.

A shepherd found a bone fragment in 2017 and reported it to the authorities, who then excavated the area. As a result of the excavations, a 7.5-million-year-old turtle fossil was found for the first time in 2020.

The teams revealed the turtle after four days of work. After cleaning, many parts of the fossil were completed, and it will be exhibited at the Kayseri Paleontology Museum, Türkiye's first and only one under construction.

"Turtles are one of the oldest known animals that are not extinct in the world. They have been continuing their generations for about 200 million years. Like their speed of movement, turtles also evolve slowly. They have survived to the present day without changing much. That's why we can call turtles living fossils," paleontologist Hüseyin Bozkurt said.