| Carbonemys | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's illustration of Carbonemys cofrinii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Family: | Podocnemididae |
| Genus: | †Carbonemys Cadena et al., 2012 |
| Type species | |
| †Carbonemys cofrinii Cadena et al., 2012 | |
Carbonemys Cofrinii is a genus of extinct giant podocnemidid turtle known from the Middle Paleocene Cerrejón Formation, discovered in the Cesar-Ranchería Basin in northeastern Colombia. The genus appeared from 60 to 57 million years ago, making the genus appear five million years after the KT extinction event (showing how quickly life recovered after the K-PG extintion).
Discovery[]
The holotype specimen was discovered in the Cerrejón coal mine by a North Carolina State University doctoral student named Edwin Cadena in 2005. The name of the genus translates to "Coal Turtle," Carbon (the Latin word for "coal) and "emys" (a Greek word meaning "freshwater turtle"). gaining its name from the coal mine where the fossil was discovered. The species name honors Dr. David Cofrin (Cofrinii).
Description[]
The shell of Carbonemys measured about 1.72 metres (5 ft 8 in), making it one of the world's largest turtles. The jaws of Carbonemys were massive and would be powerful enough to eat crocodilians, which were abundant at the time due to the area being a neotropical forest at the time. This turtle coexisted with the giant boid constrictor, Titanoboa. Despite being contemporaries, it is highly unlikely that Titanboa saw Carbonemys as prey, given it was too large for Titanoboa to consume.
Carbonemys was about the size of a small car, and is thought to have had a similar niche to the Snapping Turtle, with the appearance of that like a typical freshwater turtle mixed with a tortoise (being it was and aquatic and terrestrial creature).
In popular culture[]
- Carbonemys appears as a creature in the 2015 video game ARK: Survival Evolved.
