Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Oldest known sea turtle

Abstract

Reptiles constitute a primarily terrestrial assemblage, but several groups returned to the marine environment after the first appearance of reptiles in the late Palaeozoic era1. Successful diversification of the chelonioid sea turtles, particularly during the Cretaceous period, was perhaps one of the most important events in the history of turtles (and marine reptiles)2,3,4. The fossil record of chelonioids before the Late Cretaceous has been poorly documented. Here I report the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved skeleton of the oldest known chelonioid, from the Early Cretaceous stage (about 110 million years before the present)5,6,7 of eastern Brazil. This specimen represents a new taxon, extending the history of chelonioids by 10 million years, and it sheds new light on the early evolution of the group. The limb of the specimen is a relatively primitive paddle, which still possesses movable digits as in freshwater turtles. However, the skull is specialized in the manner of later chelonioids, with large interorbital foramina that are indicative of huge lachrymal salt glands surrounding the eyes8,9. This discovery supports the idea that the establishment of the salt-excreting system, and the occupation of a marine habitat, may have preceded the formation of rigid paddles in the history of chelonioids.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Holotype of Santanachelys gaffneyi, genet sp. nov. (THUg1386).
Figure 2: Skeletal reconstruction of Santanachelys gaffneyi, (THUg1386).
Figure 3: Santanachelys gaffneyi (THUg1386).
Figure 4: Cladogram showing relationships among selected eucryptodiran turtles.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Carroll, R. L. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution (Freeman, New York, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hirayama, R. Phylogenetic systematics of chelonioid sea turtles. Island Arc 3, 270–284 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hirayama, R. & Chitoku, T. Family Dermochelyidae (Superfamily Chelonioidea) from the Upper Cretaceous of North Japan. Trans. Proc. Palaeontol. Soc. Japan 184, 597–622 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hirayama, R. in Ancient Marine Reptiles (eds Callaway, J. L. & Nicholls, E. L.) 241–257 (Academic, San Diego, 1997).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Maisey, J. G. in Santana Fossils: An Illustrated Atlas (ed. Maisey, J. G.) 11–21 (TFH Publications, Neptune, NJ, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Martill, D. M. Fossils of the Santana and Crato Formations, Brazil. Palaeontol. Assoc. Field Guide Foss. 5, 1–159 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Meylan, P. A. Skeletal morphology and relationships of the Early Cretaceous side-necked turtle, Araripemys barrteoi (Testudines: Pelomedusoides: Araripemydidae), from the Santana Formation of Brazil. J. Vert. Paleontol. 16, 20–33 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Schmidt-Nielsen, K. & Fange, R. Salt glands in marine reptiles. Nature 183, 783–785 (1958).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lutz, P. L. in The Biology of Sea Turtles (eds Lutz, P. L. & Musick, J. A.) 343–361 (CRC, New York, 1997).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Collins, J. I. The chelonian Rhinochelys Seeley from the Upper Cretaceous of England and France. Palaeontology 13, 355–378 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Zangerl, R. The vertebrate fauna of the Selma Formation of Alabama. Part 3. The turtles of the family Protostegidae. Part 4. The turtles of the family Toxochelyidae. Fieldiana Geol. Mem. 3, 61–277 (1953).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Shaffer, H. B., Meylan, P. & McKnight, M. L. Tests of turtle phylogeny: molecular, morphological, and paleontological approaches. Syst. Biol. 46, 235–268 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Walker, W. E. J in Biology of the Reptilia. 4 (eds Gans, C. & Parsons, T. S.) 1–100 (Academic, New York, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gaffney, E. S. & Meylan, P. A. in The Phylogeny and Classification of Tetrapods. 1. Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds (ed. Benton, M. J.) 157–219 (Clarendon, Oxford, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Nessov, L. A. The Paleogene sea turtles of Southern Kazakhstan and the phylogenetic relationships between Toxochelyidae and the Cheloniidae. Paleontol. J. 21, 73–84 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gaffney, E. S. Cranial morphology of the European Jurassic turtles Portlandemys and Plesiochelys. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 157, 489–543 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Gaffney, E. S. Comparative cranial morphology of recent and fossil turtles. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 164, 65–375 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Gaffney, E. S. The comparative osteology of the Triassic turtle Proganochelys. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 194, 1–263 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Schumacher, G.-H. Die Kopf- und Halsregion der Leder-schildkröte Dermochelys coriacea (Linnaeus 1976). Abhandl. Akad. Wissensch. 1972, 1–60 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Schumacher, G.-H. in Biology of the Reptilia. 4 (eds Gans, C. & Parsons, T. S.) 101–199 (Academic, New York, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rieppel, O. The skull of the Upper Jurassic cryptodire turtle Thalassemys, with a reconsideration of the chelonian braincase. Palaeontogr. A 171, 105–140 (1980).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Zangerl, R. The vertebrate fauna of the Selma Formation of Alabama. Part 5. An advanced chelonioid sea turtle. Fieldiana Geol. Mem. 3, 61–277 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank F. Bacchia for field collection of the Santana turtles; E. S. Gaffney, P. E. Meylan and T. Hirayama for comments on manuscript; E. Hooks III for advice on protostegid morphology; D. B. Brinkman for comments on primitive eucryptodires; and N. Kohno for advice on the methodology of phylogenetic analysis. This work was partially supported by grants from the Teikyo Heisei University (formerly Teikyo University of Technology).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ren Hirayama.

Supplementary Information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hirayama, R. Oldest known sea turtle. Nature 392, 705–708 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/33669

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/33669

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing