Remains of a ‘coal turtle’ officially known by paleontologist as ‘Carbonemys cofrinii’ in honor of the Colombian coal mine where it was found have been discovered.

Experts believe this nearly 8-foot long turtle thrived in the water and had an almost 6-foot long shell.  Unlike your friendly house turtle this massive reptile could not withdraw its head back into its shelf but rather wrapped it around its body.

The Colombian Cerrejon coal mine is also where the largest known fossil snake was found.  The ‘Titanoboa cerrejonesis’ was believed to be 46-feet-long.  It is therefore believed that these massive creatures roamed South American some 60-million years ago.

The Cerrejon mine is located in northern Colombia and is the largest open-pit coal mine in the world.  The turtle was discovered by Edwin Cadena, a North Carolina State doctoral student.