Paleontologists from the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Autonomous University of Barcelona have described a new species of turtle genus. Manouria based on fossil remains found in the Czech Republic.
Manouria Morla lived in the marshes of what is now the Czech Republic in the early Miocene, between 20 and 17 million years ago.
The species is the oldest representative Manouria a lineage that currently inhabits only Southeast Asia and includes four extinct and two living species: the Asian wood turtle (Manouria Amis) and an impressed turtle (Manuria impressa).
“Turtles (Testudinidae) is a clade of turtles highly specialized to terrestrial habitats, mainly living in semi-arid conditions,” said Dr. Milan Chroust, a paleontologist at the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and colleagues.
“Members of the Testudinidae clade whose total carapace length exceeds 35–75 cm (14–30 in) are classified as medium to large tortoises, whereas species larger than 75 cm are considered giant tortoises.”
“The living species of Testudinidae are simply divided into three main groups: basal Gopherus And Manouria (restored either as basal genera or as successive branches), and Geochelona treasure and tortoiseshell clade, the latter two forming the subfamily Testudininae.”
Fossils Manouria Morla – parts of the carapace and plastron, as well as numerous unidentified carapace fragments – were found at the fossil site of Aniki I in the Most basin in Bohemia.
The estimated length of the turtle's shell is approximately 50 cm (20 in).
“The location of Akhnikov I has been known for decades as a wetland with deep rivers and shallow lakes,” the paleontologists said.
“With large numbers of juvenile crocodiles and possibly the presence of choristoderas, coastal wetland habitat was also found.”
“However, based on the findings of the kind Manouriait can be assumed that it is a broad-leaved evergreen moist forest near water with a wet season and a drier cool season, similar to the existing Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand.”
Opening Manouria Morla expands the paleobiogeographic distribution of the genus. Manouria much further west, from Asia to the heart of Europe.
“Based on our results, it appears that the genus Manouria originated in Europe shortly before the mid-Miocene climatic optimum, and then spread to Asia, where it persists to this day,” the researchers say.
conclusions were published on October 3, 2025 in the magazine Swiss Journal of Paleontology.
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M. Kraust etc.. 2025. Manouria Morla sp. November, Ancient: large early Miocene turtle from the Achníkov swamps, Czech Republic. Swiss J. Paleontol 144, 63; two: 10.1186/s13358-025-00400-6
