A gravid fossil turtle from the Early Cretaceous reveals a different egg development strategy to that of extant marine turtles

Extant sea turtles develop and lay pliable (flexible) eggs; however, it is unknown whether they inherited this reproductive strategy from their closer fossil relatives or if it represents an evolutionary novelty. Here, we describe the first undisputable gravid marine fossil turtle ever found, from t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Palaeontology 2019-07, Vol.62 (4), p.533-545
Main Authors: Cadena, Edwin‐Alberto, Parra‐Ruge, Mary L., Parra‐Ruge, Juan de D., Padilla‐Bernal, Santiago, Smith, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Animal embryos
Aquatic reptiles
Cretaceous
Eggs
Electron microscopy
fossil eggs
Fossils
Freshwater
gravid turtle
Inland water environment
Nesting
Protostegidae
Reproductive strategy
Reptiles & amphibians
Scanning electron microscopy
Sectioning
Terrestrial environments
Testudines
Tomography
Turtles
Villa de Leyva
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Summary:Extant sea turtles develop and lay pliable (flexible) eggs; however, it is unknown whether they inherited this reproductive strategy from their closer fossil relatives or if it represents an evolutionary novelty. Here, we describe the first undisputable gravid marine fossil turtle ever found, from the early Cretaceous of Colombia, belonging to Desmatochelys padillai Cadena & Parham, which constitutes a representative of the Protostegidae. Using thin sectioning of one of the eggs, as well as scanning electron microscopy coupled with elemental characterization, cathodoluminescence, and computer tomography, we established that Desmatochelys padillai produced rigid eggs similar to those associated with some extant and fossil freshwater and terrestrial turtles. At least 48 spherical eggs were preserved inside this gravid turtle. We suggest that the development of rigid eggs in the extinct marine turtle Desmatochelys padillai resulted as an adaptation for egg‐embryo requirements dictated by the physical attributes of the nesting site.
ISSN:0031-0239
1475-4983
DOI:10.1111/pala.12413