Did you know that turtles are among the most ancient of all the animal species on Earth? They are believed to have originated as far back as 220-279 million years, more ancient than lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and even the oldest dinosaurs. A great mystery surrounds the evolution of turtles. Turtles first appear in the fossil records as turtles, not that different in appearance from turtles of today (the first turtles had teeth and could not retract the head into the shell). Intermediate fossil evidence to help explain which species turtles originated from is lacking although recent fossil evidence was uncovered in southwestern China of a turtle without a fully developed carapace (top shell). A recent genetic study suggests the turtle is most closely related to birds and crocodilians and not lizards and snakes.
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