The latest freshwater giants: a new Peltocephalus (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) turtle from the Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian Amazon

Overkill of large mammals is recognized as a key driver of Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions in the Americas and Australia. While this phenomenon primarily affected mega-mammals, its impact on large Quaternary reptiles has been debated. Freshwater turtles, due to the scarcity of giant forms in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2024-03, Vol.20 (3), p.20240010
Main Authors: Ferreira, G S, Nascimento, E R, Cadena, E A, Cozzuol, M A, Farina, B M, Pacheco, M L A F, Rizzutto, M A, Langer, M C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brazil
Fresh Water
Humans
Mammals
Palaeontology
Phylogeny
Reptiles
Turtles
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Summary:Overkill of large mammals is recognized as a key driver of Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions in the Americas and Australia. While this phenomenon primarily affected mega-mammals, its impact on large Quaternary reptiles has been debated. Freshwater turtles, due to the scarcity of giant forms in the Quaternary record, have been largely neglected in such discussions. Here we present a new giant podocnemidid turtle, sp. nov., from the Late Pleistocene Rio Madeira Formation in the Brazilian Amazon, that challenges this assumption. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses of the holotype, a massive partial lower jaw, reveal close affinities to extant Amazonian species and suggest an omnivorous diet. Body size regressions indicate possibly reached about 180 cm in carapace length and is among the largest freshwater turtles ever found. This finding presents the latest known occurrence of giant freshwater turtles, hinting at coexistence with early human inhabitants in the Amazon.
ISSN:1744-957X
1744-9561
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0010