A newly discovered species of ancient giant turtle has been named after Stephen King’s fictional character Maturin, a giant turtle who created the universe.
The remains of the huge prehistoric turtle from the Pleistocene era between 40,000 and 9,000 years ago have been named ‘Peltocephalus maturin’.
The video shows the remains, reportedly the fossilised lower jaw belonging to the giant turtle and a 3D representation of the huge turtles compared to modern-day humans and modern turtles.
Experts from Germany’s University of Tuebingen say it was far larger than any other species alive today, with a shell measuring approximately 1.8 metres (5.9 feet) in length.
Lead researcher Gabriel Ferreira said: “This is very surprising because freshwater turtles — in contrast to their terrestrial and marine relatives — rarely have such gigantic forms.”
The remains, part of the reptile’s lower jaw. Were found by gold miners in a quarry in Porto Velho, in Brazil.
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Ferreira added: “In the past, we only know of a few turtles living in fresh waters that had a shell length of more than 150 centimetres [59 inches].”
Newsflash obtained a statement from the University of Tuebingen in Germany saying: “The fossil remains – part of the turtle’s lower jaw – were collected by gold miners from the ‘Taquaras’ quarry in Porto Velho, Brazil.
“Based on various characteristics, the research team assumes a close relationship with the extant Big-headed Amazon River turtle (Peltocephalus dumerilianus) and an omnivorous diet.”
The statement quotes Ferreira as saying: “We named the new species after the giant tortoise ‘Maturin’. An overarching protagonist in the Stephen King multiverse.
“Maturin is responsible for the creation of the universe in King’s novels and films.”
The statement also said: “The new find is the youngest known occurrence of giant freshwater turtles and suggests that Peltocephalus maturin coexisted with early human inhabitants in the Amazon.”
Ferreira said: “People settled in the Amazon region around 12,600 years ago. We also know that large tortoises have been on the diet of hominins since the Paleolithic.
“It is still unclear whether freshwater turtles, which are much more difficult to catch due to their mobility. Were also used by early humans for consumption and whether Peltocephalus maturin – together with the South American megafauna – fell victim to human expansion.
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“Here we need more data from the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits of the Amazon Basin.”
The research was published in the academic journal Biology Letters on 13th March 2024 under the title ‘The latest freshwater giants. A new Peltocephalus (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) turtle from the Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian Amazon’.
It was ordered by G. S. Ferreira, E. R. Nascimento, E. A. Cadena, M. A. Cozzuol, B. M. Farina, M. L. A. F. Pacheco, M. A. Rizzutto and M. C. Langer.
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