News Paleontology

An extinct sofa-sized turtle may have lived alongside humans

The turtle had a nearly 2-meter-long shell and may have lived as recently as 9,000 years ago

A giant turtle sits on a log at the water's edge, surrounded by some mammals and birds.

A giant freshwater turtle (Peltocephalus maturin) rests along the water’s edge in this illustration of the Brazilian Amazon thousands of years ago. The huge, extinct reptile is one of the largest turtles yet discovered.

Julia D’Oliviera

By Jake Buehler

As little as 9,000 years ago, a sofa-sized turtle paddled around the Brazilian Amazon.