Scientists name new 13 million year old turtle fossil after Shakira

Scientists from the Universidad del Rosario and the La Tatacoa Natural History Museum discovered a 13 million year old turtle fossil in Colombia's Tatacoa Desert.

The team found the remains in the municipality of Villavieja during 2025. The fossil includes a shell and skull fragments, which researchers noted are rare for specimens of such great age. The team spent weeks performing delicate excavations to extract the fragile remains from the desert.

After moving the pieces to Bogota for laboratory analysis, the researchers confirmed the fossil belongs to a previously unknown genus and species. They identified the turtle as an omnivore with anatomical traits that allowed it to live in various aquatic environments during the Middle Miocene. The new species belongs to the Podocnemididae family, a group that includes modern freshwater turtles found in river basins like the Amazon and Orinoco.

Scientists describe the fossil as an evolutionary mosaic because it contains both ancient and modern features. These traits help researchers understand how South American turtles adapted and diversified over millions of years. Lead researcher Edwin Cadena named the species Shakiremys colombiana to honor the Colombian singer Shakira. Cadena chose the name to recognize her cultural impact and to help connect scientific discoveries with the general public. The team published their findings in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.