Close call!

This is another turtle from the Early Oligocene of South Carolina. Carolinachelys wilsoni. I recovered it from the marine Ashley Formation. They were the largest turtles on the East Coast during the Oligocene. Some shells measure over four feet long. But even their large size didn't protect them from shark attacks. The shell below has two deep shark tooth grooves on it's back. It survived this one. The shell had already grown back. These large turtles were coming ashore to lay eggs along the South Eastern Coastline. An Oligocene shoreline, used as a turtle nesting area, has been discovered in Georgia. Over twenty nests, some with fossilized eggs, have been recovered.