New Spanish Giant Tortoise Genus Discovered

New Spanish Giant Tortoise Genus Discovered

LAST UPDATED: 29 November, 2014 @ 10:34 am
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GIANT TORTOISE: The researchers, who dubbed the animals ‘Titanochelon’ due to their size, took on research that started in the 1920s in Spain

GIANT TORTOISE: The researchers, who dubbed the animals ‘Titanochelon’ due to their size, took on research that started in the 1920s in Spain
GIANT TORTOISE: The researchers, who dubbed the animals ‘Titanochelon’ due to their size, took on research that started in the 1920s in Spain

HERDS of giant tortoises – two metres in size – were roaming the plains of Spain two million years ago.

A 10-year study by Spanish and Greek researchers has identified the genus of tortoises that had a large shell covered with protective scales.

“We’re not just talking about any tortoise; this is the largest that lived in Europe, whose size likely exceeded that of those living today in the Galapagos Islands,” said researcher Adan Perez-Garcia.

The researchers, who dubbed the animals ‘Titanochelon’ due to their size, took on research that started in the 1920s in Spain.

Madrid’s National Museum of Natural Sciences provided a treasure trove of fossilised materials to back up the study.

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