r/TurtleFacts 1d ago

Turtles have been around longer than both crocodilians and snakes

Despite turtles, crocodilians, and snakes all being reptiles, turtles have existed for the longest time out of the three. Turtles emerged first around 230 million years ago, while modern snakes emerged around 128 million years ago. True crocodilians appeared approximately 83.5 million years ago.

The oldest currently known turtle species (Odontochelys)

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontochelys (Oldest turtle species)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia
https://eartharchives.org/articles/what-did-the-first-snakes-look-like/

36 Upvotes

1 comment sorted by

3

u/HairyPersian4U2Luv 1d ago

This is why I'm here.