Nearly 13 million-year-old fossil named after Shakira ‘because they’re huge fans’

Researchers in Colombia have discovered a turtle fossil dating back 13 million years.

Found by local farmers, the specimen comprises of a skull and complete shell and is from a species named Shakiremys Columbiana, after Grammy Award-winning singer Shakira.

The ancient fossil was unearthed in La Victoria in the Tatacoa desert, one of the world’s largest paleontological sites.

It offers a glimpse into the Miocene epoch when the area was occupied by lakes and rivers.

Andres Felipe Vanegas, the director of the Tatacoa Natural History Museum, said analysis of the specimen turtle shell showed it was adapted to different water currents.

A CT scan of the fossil’s brain and ears showed it had a ‘mosaic of unique characteristics’ for that group of turtles.

Mr Vanegas explained the decision had been made to name the genus after Shakira in light of both her stature in Colombia and her support for educational causes.

He said: ‘He decided to call this turtle’s genus Shakiremys because, first, he’s a Shakira fan, and second, Shakira is a Colombian singer-songwriter with great international recognition who has also supported many educational causes with her Pies Descalzos foundation.’

‘So just like Shakira is very special, this turtle is also very special’, he added.

With more than 80 million records sold worldwide, Shakira is one of Colombia’s most recognisable faces and has been credited with popularising Spanish language music within an international audience.

It follows several more recent paleontological discoveries in Colombia.

This summer scientists found teeth marks on the fossil of a 13 million-year-old giant ‘terror bird’ suggesting it was devoured by an even greater predator.

They concluded that the marks on terror bird, first unearthed 15 years ago, showed it could have been defeated by another creature in a ‘battle to the death’.

Researchers believe the flying reptile could have been overpowered by a caiman, a crocodile-like predator, the BBC reported.

However they have yet to prove whether the terror bird, which could grow taller than a human at 2.5 metres, was killed by the caiman or whether the larger reptile simply scavenged its remains.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.