smush, Turtles, chelonian, creativity

Turtles — formally known as chelonians — evolved around 230 million years ago. They quickly became an ubiquitous part of freshwater ecosystems like rivers and ponds: the very sorts of inland environments that tend to collect fossils.

“It took a lot of creativity to realize those colors are associated with different pressure and temperature,” Dr. Petermann said. “Finding a pattern, that requires a lot of looking at fossils and a lot of imagination.”


Chelonian Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.com
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belonging or pertaining to the reptilian order Testudines (formerly Chelonia), comprising turtles, tortoises, and terrapins. ... a turtle, tortoise, or terrapin.

In the historical imaginations of many cultures — particularly those of India, China and the Americas — cosmic chelonians are said to carry the world on their backs. When it comes to analyzing the buried worlds of the past, it really is turtles all the way down.

It’s Turtles All the Way Down in the Fossil Record

How smushed shells could help to resolve paleontological mysteries.

smush

/smʌʃ/

verb

INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

past tense: smushed; past participle: smushed

1. crush or smash.

   "they smushed marshmallows in their mouths"