Bhanpura (Madhya Pradesh): Local palaeontologist Dr Pradyumna Bhatt has discovered a completely eroded fossil of a sea turtle at Bhanpur Rampur plateau from the Paleogene era. Notably, these plateaus were formed after the geological movements in the far and Southeast areas of the Aravallis. The length of the mentioned fossil is 53 cm, volume is about 32 litres, and weight is more than 55 kilograms.
After a comparative study, Dr Bhatt believed that this event must have happened millions of years ago and the turtle's shell belongs to that time.
When the oceans on the earth were limited and were changing into their present form, many such turtles died in a mass due to changes in habitat.
In 2006, when biologist Professor GL Badam came to Bhanpura, he discovered pieces of turtle carapace too from Ramesh Pancholi's field at Lotkhedi and claimed it to be 20 million-year-old.
Dr Pratibha, Manisha Anirudh and Taksh Sharma collaborated in the discovery of this fossil. Bhatt has named it Trionyx Vindhyanics. He has also demanded immediate protection of the entire Indergarh hill and the places located on its side as he believes it to be full of fossils.
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