14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The largest marine turtle fossil of its kind ever discovered in Europe unearthed in Spain

In northern Spain, scientists discovered the remains of a new species of enormous marine turtle. The prehistoric creature is the biggest of its kind ever found in Europe, weighing about two tons and measuring 12 feet long.

The turtle sailed the subtropical sea that swept through Europe’s island coast 83 million years ago. The size is comparable to that of a Mini Cooper. The largest turtle alive today, the gubernatorial turtle, which is 7 feet (2 meters) long and famous for its protracted sea migration, is dwarfed by that size.

Scientists described the turtle, which they named Leviathanochelys aenigmatica, in a paper published in Scientific Reports. “Leviathan” is a nod to the animal’s large body size, and “chelys” means turtle. “Aenigmatica” translates to enigma—in reference to some of the creature’s strange characteristics, the authors write.

Leviathanochelys nearly matched the largest turtle on record – Archelon, which lived roughly 70 million years ago and reached about 4.6 meters long.

“Leviathanochelys was as long as a Mini Cooper while Archelon was the same size as a Toyota Corolla,” said paleontologist and study co-author Albert Selles of the Institut Catala de Paleontologia (ICP), a research center affiliated with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The excavation site where fossils of the large Cretaceous Period sea turtle Leviathanochelys aenigmatica were discovered in Catalonia Alt Urgell county, northeastern Spain.
The excavation site where fossils of the large Cretaceous Period sea turtle Leviathanochelys aenigmatica were discovered in Catalonia Alt Urgell county, northeastern Spain.

The discovery was entirely by chance: a hiker discovered some bone fragments while walking in the Pyrenees mountains, writes James Ashworth for London’s Natural History Museum. After that, the remains were collected by a local museum and the Catalan Department of Culture, but no one studied them until 2021. Researchers began new excavations at the Pyrenees site and uncovered fragments of the turtle’s pelvis and carapace—the part of the shell that covers the creature’s back.

Fossil shows that it has a fine kakapas similar to a seaguide, with its own shell 7.7 feet (2.35 meters) long and 7.2 feet (2.2 meters wide). Leviathanochelys appears built for the open ocean, returning to land only rarely – for instance to lay eggs.

The presence of a pair of bone bulges on the front side of the pelvic differs from that of other known sea turtles, suggesting that. This shows that sea turtle gigantisme is developing independently in a separate Cretaceous lineage in North America and Europe.

“During the Cretaceous, there was a tendency in marine turtles to increase their body size. Leviathanochelys and Archelon might represent the apex of this process. The reason for this increase in body size has been hypothesized to be predatory pressures, but there might be other factors,” said Oscar Castillo, a student in a master’s degree program in paleontology at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and lead author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The presence of a couple of bony bulges on the front side of the pelvis differs from any other known sea turtle, indicating that Leviathanochelys represents a newly discovered lineage. It shows that gigantism in marine turtles developed independently in separate Cretaceous lineages in North America and Europe.

Cover Photo: Illustration of sea turtles. (Wikimedia Commons/Jordan Beard)

Related Articles

Hundreds Of Mummified Bees inside their Cocoons from the Time of the Pharaohs found in Portugal

25 August 2023

25 August 2023

Hundreds of mummified bees inside their cocoons have been found on the southwest coast of Portugal, in a new paleontological...

A Scandinavian Roman gladiator in York: Research Reveals Unknown Migrations Before the Viking Age

7 January 2025

7 January 2025

Scandinavian genes were present on the British Isles several centuries earlier than previously thought, including evidence from a man buried...

A Byzantine Princess, a Mongol Khan, and a Church: The Bloody Church and Its Unknown History

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

Nestled at the base of the imposing Phanar Greek Orthodox College, a landmark intrinsically linked to the panoramic vistas of...

In the Black Sea, there is a “Ship Graveyard” with 2,500 years of wrecked ships

15 February 2022

15 February 2022

The Black Sea is the inland sea lying between Europe and Asia. Blacksea is located in Eurasia, surrounded by Europe,...

4,400 Years Old Shaman Snake Staff Found in Finland

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A very well-preserved 4,400-year-old Shaman Snake Staff made of wood has been found in Finland. The “Snake Staff” found is...

“Scythian golds” will be returned to Ukraine

15 November 2021

15 November 2021

The fate of the Scythian Golds, which were sent to be exhibited in the Allard Pierson Museum before the Russian...

Drought Unveils Lost Hellenistic-Era City and Cemetery Beneath Mosul Dam

30 August 2025

30 August 2025

Severe drought conditions in northern Iraq have uncovered a remarkable archaeological treasure. The discovery, revealed as water levels at the...

2000-year-old ancient Roman Road, described as the most important in Scottish history, has been discovered

3 November 2023

3 November 2023

A 2000-year-old ancient Roman road was unearthed in Old Inn Cottage’s garden near Stirling, Scotland. The site is located a...

Anglo-Saxon monasteries were more resilient to Viking attacks than thought

31 January 2023

31 January 2023

Researchers from the University of Reading’s Department of Archaeology have found new evidence that Anglo-Saxon monastic communities were more resistant...

Sumatran fishing crews may have found the legendary Gold Island in the Mud of the Indonesian River

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

The site of the Srivijaya kingdom, known in ancient times as the Island of Gold, may have been found by...

New Research Links Climate Crisis to the Fall of the Roman Empire

11 April 2025

11 April 2025

A study led by scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Queen’s University Canada and the Chinese Academy...

The Mysterious Prehistoric Underwater Structure Beneath Lake Michigan

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

A prehistoric structure reminiscent of England’s iconic Stonehenge has been uncovered in Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan...

The Lost Georgian King: Archaeologists Discover the Tomb of Ashot the Great Beneath Gevhernik Fortress

8 October 2025

8 October 2025

High in the misty mountains of northeastern Türkiye, where emerald valleys carve through the rugged Artvin landscape, an ancient fortress...

A 1000-year-old Viking silver treasure found in Sweden

31 October 2022

31 October 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a 1,000-year-old silver Viking treasure at Täby, Viggbyholm, outside of Stockholm. The treasure was found during an...

Europe’s earliest cities had a predominantly vegetarian diet

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

The population of the Copper Age mega-sites in what is now Ukraine and Moldova had a predominantly vegetarian diet. In...