The fossil turtle named after a partner's anatomy by a quirky palaeontologist
In short: In the archives of the Natural History Museum lies a fossil turtle with a highly unconventional name. Palaeontologist Franz Nopsca christened the specimen Kallikobotian, honoring his partner, Bajazid Doda. The name was chosen for a singular, intimate reason: the fossil’s shape reminded Nopsca of Doda’s backside.
The story of Kallikobotian offers a glimpse into the personal lives of historical scientists, but the study of fossil turtles is currently undergoing a much broader scientific revolution. For years, the evolutionary lineage of turtles remained one of the most debated topics in vertebrate biology. While DNA evidence consistently pointed toward a relationship with archosaurs—the group encompassing dinosaurs, birds, and crocodiles—the fossil record often seemed to tell a conflicting story, suggesting a much older, separate origin for these shelled reptiles.
Central to this confusion was Eunotosaurus africanus, a small reptile from the Middle Permian, roughly 260 million years ago. With its wide, flattened ribs, it appeared to be a perfect proto-turtle. However, a 2016 discovery of a new Eunotosaurus specimen allowed researchers to use high-resolution CT scanning to peer inside its skull. The results, published in Current Biology, revealed that the animal lacked the specific skull openings found in modern turtles. Instead, it belonged to an extinct group known as millerettids.
This finding demonstrates the power of convergent evolution, where unrelated species develop similar physical traits—in this case, broad ribcages—to solve similar environmental challenges. The researchers suggest that while Eunotosaurus likely used its robust claws for burrowing, the ancestors of true turtles were adapting to aquatic life. By reclassifying Eunotosaurus, scientists have successfully aligned the fossil record with genetic data, placing turtles firmly within the archosaur family tree. This research, supported by experts like Dr. Serjoscha Evers and Dr. Mike Day, helps constrain the origin of turtles to approximately 255 million years ago, finally resolving a long-standing mystery in the history of life on Earth.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The fossil turtle named after someone's butt | LGBTQ+ natural history tour | Extra Content
- Also: New fossil analysis rewrites the origin of turtles | Natural History Museum
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