Very Kool Article!

[Zamric]

I thought some of you enthusiest would like this...

Turtle genome analysis sheds light on turtle ancestry and shell evolution
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...y:+Earth+&+Climate+News)&utm_content=My+Yahoo

 

[Redari]

Very neat, thanks for sharing! I KNEW they were dinosaurs

 

[ScottishFish]

The app wont let me open the link! Grrr, will need to get on a computer when I get home


'Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever'
~Robert Burns - Tam O' Shanter

0.0.1 Testudo hermanni boettgeri

 

[Brewster320]

Thats amazing. I would have never thought that they are a sister group to birds, dinos, and crocs.

 

[Madkins007]

They have a single skull opening- anapsid rather than the two opening diapsids of reptiles and most other animals- including birds and crocs. The debate has ranged far and wide over whether the one opening is more primitive, or two openings that merged.

When they were pretty sure it was two openings, they created Chelonia, a Class on the same level as Reptilia, with only shelled animals in it. The crocs were another class of their own because of their unique and bird-like structure- and as far as I know, are still in their own class.

This article is more good evidence that turtles are not really closely related to reptiles in anything other than a fairly superficial way- to which I say YIPPEE!