Remember Titanboa from a few months ago? It turns out the giant snake had a giant shelled cousin living in the same neighborhood, and the turtle’s shell may have evolved to resist the snake:

Fox News — Named Puentemys mushaisaensis after the pit where it was found, the turtle, whose shell would have extended 5 feet (1.5 m) across, adds to growing evidence that tropical reptiles ballooned after the dinosaurs were wiped out.

Even with its mouth wide open, Titanoboa wouldn’t have been able to down this turtle, not whole at least. And its round, low-domed shape would have increased the surface area exposed to the sun to keep the cold-blooded turtle warm, said study researcher Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “The shell was far more rounded than a typical turtle,” Jaramillo told LiveScience.

Hot planetary action, a former hot Russian “model” turned astronuat spokesperson, and various scandals and eye-popping political whoppers are all good link bait. But I’m proud to say that that giant snake deal, Titanoboa, must be a hit for the Smithsonian, because searches for it top my inbound list by about a hundred to one over anything else. And as we say in the trading business, the trend is your friend. So, posted below are pics/links about giant prehistoric boa constrictors for science students and interested parties. [Read more…]