Fossilized turtle, likely from millions of years ago, excavated in New Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Fossilized turtle, likely from millions of years ago, excavated in New Mexico
The Associated Press
Published Monday, November 3, 2014 8:50PM EST

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Fossilized remains of a turtle believed to have lived in a swampy environment tens of millions of years ago were recovered from a desert location in New Mexico.

A team from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History excavated the find on federal property near the city of Truth or Consequences last week, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported Sunday.

The team first scoured ground at the site for loose pieces of fossilized bone and turtle shell, which were placed in bags.

Members then carefully dug around the bulk of the fossilized turtle and applied plaster to keep the remains intact while it's transported back to the museum in Albuquerque for display.

The remains were spotted by resident Jeff Dornbusch, who had noticed a pile of rocks while he was hiking in the area. The rocks turned out to be fragments from the turtle fossil.

"I never really knew this area as a place for marine fossils -- shells and stuff in the mountains," he said.

More:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/fossilized-turtle-likely-from-millions-of-years-ago-excavated-in-new-mexico-1.2085375#ixzz3I46DNBCu

[niyad]

1. k and r and thanks for posting.

[pamela]

2. Wow, that's the second major find near T or C this year.

We're headed down there this week. Hope we find something cool.

[jtuck004]

3. I wonder if this is the ancient lost burial ground of the Mitch McConnells? n/t

[brewens]

4. That would most likely be a much more recent but ancient hominid fossil find most likely revealed

by evidence of fossilized feces with remnants of cloth fibers. As in the slang terms "turtle-head, touchin' cloth or prairie doggin'"!

http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/turtle-head

[mindwalker_i]

6. I would have been really disappointed

if somebody hadn't said that

[jtuck004]

7. Figured I'd do the chores while others were trying to get things done. n/t

[hibbing]

5. love this kind of stuff

Thanks for posting this.

Peace