The ribs of a 240 million-year-old fossil hold clues to how the first turtle shell evolved. And its skull shape seems closer to that of lizards and snakes than to an ancestor of dinosaurs and birds.

Broad-shelled turtles, however, are listed as an endangered species in Victoria. "But worldwide just about every single turtle species is endangered," Mr Stockfeld said.

It's a debate that's left more than a few scientists shell-shocked: Just how did the turtle come to acquire its unique suit of armor?

The turtle shell is made up of rows of firmly connected bony plates, ... New research finds that the 260-million-year-old animal Eunotosaurus, with its broad and strongly curved ribs, ...

Broad-shelled turtle (Chelodina expansa) The largest freshwater turtle in Australia. Can weigh up to 6 or 7kg, with a shell length about 450mm. Their necks can be up to a metre long when stretched ...

Scientists have discovered the real reason turtles have shells. While many thought turtle shells were for protection, new findings show that the shells were actually for digging underground to ...

In today’s turtles, those ribs fuse to form shells. T. Lyson et al/Current Biology 2016 “We could tell that this animal was very powerful,” says Lyson. ... Broad ribs “provide a really, ...

These fossils, plus studies of turtle embryos, are helping biologists piece together the sequence of key events in the evolution of turtle shells. "Early on, you first make broad ribs," Sues explains.

As ancient turtle’s ribs fused into the shells they are known for today, they would have had a harder time breathing. All the while, as their midsections stiffened, they would have become slower.

Modern turtle shells certainly make for potent defenses, but the wide ribs of Eunotosaurus and Pappochelys do not. They wouldn’t even have covered the creatures’ heads, necks, or backs.

One of the greatest success stories of turtles is a shell which, in most species, is composed of bone, cartilage and keratin. If you’ve looked inside the upper part of a turtle’s shell ...

They found a juvenile broad-winged hawk with several toes caught in the shell of a three-toed box turtle.. According to the department, naturalists believe the hawk tried to catch the turtle for ...