2 Giant Sea Turtle Fossils Fit Perfectly After 160 Years

An incredible find by a paleontologist in New Jersey led to the discovery of the "second half" of a giant sea turtle fossil. Take a look.

"The guys ... came down with their half of the bone and thought, 'Let's compare it and see what happens.' And sure enough, two halves of the same bone." (Via YouTube / Drexel University)

Now, to be clear, the second half was found more than 160 years after the discovery of the first half in 1849. So the chances of them fitting perfectly, let alone being reunited, were very small. (Via National Geographic)

But now that they are together, researchers were able to get a better idea of how big the sea turtle was. Los Angeles Times reports it was about 10 feet long and lived about 70 million years ago.

So about the size of a small car, give or take a few feet. A writer for RedOrbit highlights how this unique find could impact future research.

"The paleontologists said the discovery should spark a reexamination of the conventional wisdom that says exposed fossils cannot survive for long periods."

More information on the discovery will be published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.