March 6, 2009 -- Scientists have discovered a tropical Asian turtle fossil not in Asia or in the tropics, but high in the Canadian Arctic. The find supports the view that, tens of millions of years ago, the Arctic was much warmer then than it is now. The fossil also suggests that Asian turtles took advantage of those balmy conditions to migrate across the North Pole on a land bridge that was filled with lakes and rivers. Previously, scientists thought turtles made the trek at lower latitudes. "It is generally thought that a land bridge through Alaska helped bring Asian fauna across into North America, but that doesn't really explain how you get turtles on the east coast of North America at the same time as on the west," said University of Rochester geologist Rory Cottrell, one of the authors of the new study, which appeared last month in the journal Geology. "One major significance to come out of this find is that there may have been another way." Related Content: An expedition team from the University of Rochester found the fossil in 2006 on Axel Heiberg Island in the High Canadian Arctic. Rock deposits on the island are full of vertebrate fossils, including turtles, crocodile reptiles, fish and "all sorts of other weird things," Cottrell said. The turtle fossil was a particularly exciting because it was a nearly complete mold of both the top and bottom of the animal's shell. And the shell was big, measuring 30 centimeters (almost a foot) across. The animal belonged to a group called Macrobaenidae. The researchers nicknamed it Hugo. Turtles are fair-weather creatures, and the icy Arctic today is way too cold to support them. Hugo, however, lived about 95 million years ago during a warm period called the Cretaceous. The era is often used as an example of what a greenhouse Earth would be like. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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