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Santanachelys gaffneyi
fossil turtle
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turtle ancestry
- In turtle: Origin and evolution
The oldest sea turtle (Santanachelys gaffneyi) is known from the mid-Cretaceous. It is a member of the Protostegidae, a likely sister group of modern leatherback sea turtles. S. gaffneyi had a streamlined shell of about 1.5 metres (5 feet) and forelimbs well along the evolutionary path to becoming flippers.
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