Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University reported finding the fossil of an almost 1,5 metre (5 feet) long tortoise in the Andes Mountains of southern Bolivia.
They found it on an arid plateau with no traces of water. Nevertheless, they assume that “13 million years ago” the place was much wetter.
Reporting on the find, ScienceDaily states:
“Fossilized shell pieces of a much smaller, aquatic turtle found nearby support the altitude estimate and also indicate the climate was much wetter than today.”
Cold-blooded aquatic animals cannot live high in the mountains.
Case Western Reserve University. 2015. Reptile fossils offer clues about elevation history of Andes Mountains: Tortois, turtle remains also provide record of climate change. ScienceDaily. (29 December).