Ancient 50-Million-Year-Old Marine Turtle Unearthed in Syria May Rewrite Sea Reptile History

The geological archives contain fragments of history capable of upsetting our understanding of the living. Each major discovery invites to reconsider the admitted evolutionary trajectories. In the north of Syria, a fossil of a recently studied marine turtle opens a new window on the origins of certain sea reptiles, far beyond the usually explored areas.

A 50 million year old treasure exhumed north of Syria

At the foot of the Aleppo plateau, near the city of Afrin, an international team of paleontologists has uncovered an extraordinary fossil specimen. Coming from Al-Zarefeh's career, this turtle fossil was unearthed in 2010 when an explosion of dynamics projected it on the surface. Preserved for thirteen years in a simple office in Aleppo, it then revealed its true scientific value only after long years of forgetting.

The specimen has a complete, internal molded shell, accompanied by elements of the plastron, the pool and the posterior limbs. Despite the uncertain conservation conditions, the whole has remained remarkably preserved. The measures are precise. The shell reaches 53 centimeters long and 44 centimeters wide, proof of a morphology already well asserted at the time.

To estimate the age of the fossil, the researchers used foraminifera extracted from the rocks that surrounded it. These limestone microorganisms make it possible to date the sediments with finesse. Thanks to them, the specimen could be attached to the lower Eocene, a period located about 50 million years back, as reported by Scitechdaily.

© Wafa Adel Alhalabi

Wafa Adel Alhalabi studies the fossil of the new species of turtle.

What the fossil of a marine turtle reveals on the evolution of reptiles

Called Syriamys Lelunensis, this new taxon belongs to a missing group of side -to -neck turtles, the Stereogenyini. This clade, whose representatives lived rather in a marine environment than in fresh water, has long posed puzzles on its geographic origins and its evolution. It is officially the first fossil vertebrate formally described by Syria.

The Syrian fossil has several distinctive features, including seven extended neural bones to the seventh coast, a singularly narrow nude plate in front and a little marked anal notch. These characteristics thus make it possible to differentiate it clearly from other known species, as indicated by the Revue Papers in Palaeontology.

So far, the oldest representatives of this group had been identified in America or Africa. The Syrian sample is removing their appearance of at least ten million years, reinforcing the idea that these reptiles may have emerged in the Mediterranean basin. A hypothesis that gains credibility with this unexpected discovery in a region little explored by marine paleontologists.

When science resists oblivion in a country at war

Despite war and instability, Syria continues to reveal important discoveries for science. The project around Syriamys Lelunensis was born thanks to the perseverance of Wafa Adel Alhalabi, who wanted to revive the forgotten fossils of his country. After her training at the University of São Paulo, she then led research with an international team bringing together Syrian, Brazilian, German, Canadian and Lebanese experts.

With the series of articles entitled “Recovering Lost Time in Syria”, these researchers want to enlighten scientific treasures which have remained in the shadows during the years of conflict. Their work goes beyond the simple study of fossils. It constitutes an act of intellectual resistance and it maintains the link between the geological memory of a territory and those who strive to transmit it.

In a country where scientific speech has long been silenced, this discovery does not only represent the fossil of a marine turtle. It now embodies the symbol of knowledge that researchers exhmelled with the same thoroughness that they set out to release the sedimentary layers that protected it.