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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Plant fossils turn out to be turtles in ‘unusual misidentification’

The two fossils
The fossils, 5cm and 6cm in length, were discovered in Colombia in the middle of the 20th century by a priest. Photograph: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, December 2023

Two small, oval fossils thought to be prehistoric plants are actually the remains of baby marine turtles, researchers have revealed.

The fossils, found in rocks dating to between 132 and 113 million years ago, were discovered in Colombia in the middle of the 20th century by Padre Gustavo Huerta, a priest with a penchant for fossil plants.

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