The leatherback sea turtle slicing through the dark, primordial sea that covered South Carolina millions of years ago could not have known that it would one day end up in the South Carolina State Museum.
But thanks to Chief Curator of Natural History Jim Knight and members of the Lowcountry Fossil Club, that's exactly what will happen.
Knight and others began excavating the 30-million-year-old fossil shell from the bottom of a ditch in a Summerville neighborhood on June 14 after building a small, makeshift dam to keep back waters from a recent rain while they dug the 3-foot by 5-foot shell from the marl ( a mixture of clays, shells and calcium that form a rock or cement-like layer in the earth ) and mud.
"Yesterday this ditch was bone dry," said Knight. But after three inches of rain in the Lowcountry, about a foot of cool, dirty water turned the ditch into a canal, and the flowing waters made the hard job of excavating the large fossil even more challenging.
But Knight was undaunted. "This is really exciting," he enthused. "This find is extremely important because animals this size are rarely found intact, and this one is almost complete. This gives us a chance to get a better idea of what this turtle was like.
"We don't have this species in our collection, so it's exciting to add this new specimen." The Museum's growing natural history collection includes fossils from the Ice Age, the latest of which ended about 10,000 years ago, to trilobites (creatures several inches long, and distantly related to insects and other arthropods) half a billion years old.
The State Museum has displayed a similar but older turtle shell since its opening in 1988. The newly-discovered reptile fossil is from the Oligocene epoch. The Museum's other example is from the Eocene, about five to ten million years earlier.
The turtle was found by Paul Bailey, a founder of the Lowcountry Fossil Club, in late May. Though he has been collecting fossils only about six years, Bailey has made many discoveries.
Scientists know the age of species like this by the rock strata they are found in, says Knight, and by comparing them to specimens whose age has previously been determined.
To transport the turtle remains safely, the group will cover it with plaster to protect it from breaking apart during the trip to Columbia.
Though it will likely take several years to prepare and exhibit, Knight hopes it will someday be featured in a newly-redesigned natural history floor at the Museum.
"Specimens this complete are very rare, and so are extremely valuable, both scientifically and esthetically," said Knight. "Paul and the Lowcountry Fossil Club are to be commended for donating this remarkable find to the State Museum. Both scientists and the general public will be learning from this creature for a long time."
Paul Bailey, left, a founder of the Lowcountry Fossil Club, discovered the mostly-intact shell of a 30 million-year-old leatherback sea turtle, being uncovered here. With the help of the South Carolina State Museum and hobby paleontologists, the shell and other associated bones are being excavated for preservation and eventual exhibition at the State Museum in Columbia.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum.
Fossil enthusiasts dig a trench around the shell of a 30-million-year-old fossilized leatherback sea turtle in a ditch in Summerville. When brought out of the ground, the dirt-encrusted fossil is expected to weigh as much as 400 pounds.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum
S.C. State Museum Curator of Natural History Jim Knight pauses during the excavation of the sea turtle fossil discovered in a drainage ditch in Summerville. The large fossil eventually will be exhibited at the State Museum in Columbia.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum.
Workers had to build a makeshift dam to keep about 6 inches of water off of the 30-million-year-old leatherback sea turtle fossil so it could be excavated and transported to the South Carolina State Museum, where it will be conserved and eventually exhibited.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum.
A shiny new penny contrasts with the shell markings of the 30 million-year-old fossilized sea turtle discovered in a drainage ditch in Summerville. The shell, approximately three feet wide and five feet long, is being dug up under the direction of the South Carolina State Museum, where it will be preserved and eventually exhibited.
Curator of Natural History Jim Knight says it is extremely rare for a specimen this large to be found essentially intact, which will help scientists learn more about these ancient creatures.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum