The origin and evolutionary history of turtles

Turtles can be said to be one of the most ancient creatures in the world. The earliest turtle fossil known so far is the fossil of Protognathus from the Late Triassic period 200 million years ago. In other words, Protognathus is a turtle and turtle. The ancestor of the turtle, Protognathus, originated in Germany and was later found in northern Thailand. There are no reports of Protognathus being discovered in China. The teeth of protognathous turtles have been lost, and their bodies are protected by carapace, but their heads cannot yet be retracted into the carapace.

In the animal evolutionary tree, turtles are in a branch of their own and are quite special, specialized, and specialized animals. They populate the earth with prosperous families and diverse races. Around the late Jurassic of the Mesozoic Era, protognathous turtles evolved into two different groups: side-necked turtles and crook-necked turtles (also known as submerged turtles and hidden-necked turtles).

Turtles - Turtles evolved from early primitive turtles. The earliest record of turtle fossils is from the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago, represented by the ancient turtle.

Tortoises - The earliest records of tortoises are from the Eocene Epoch 40 million years ago, and they have always been prosperous. The earliest reported representative of the Tortoise family in my country is the Chinese thick turtle from Zhechuan. The fossil was produced from the late Neocene layer in Zhechuan, Henan. However, about 1 million years ago, tortoises suddenly declined, and only a few species continue to this day.

Turtles - Turtles first appeared in the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago and continue to this day. However, there is still no record of turtle fossils being discovered in my country.

Turtles are ancient inhabitants of the earth and have existed for more than two billion years. It moves slowly, has strong adaptability, and has a long lifespan, making it a symbol of longevity. Zhuangzi's "Autumn Water Pian" says: "I heard that there was a magical turtle in Chu, and it was dead three thousand years ago." Although it is an exaggeration, it is consistent with the identity of the turtle. In addition, "turtle" and "gui" are homophonic, and they are also a symbol of wealth. In ancient Yin and Shang Dynasties, people used tortoise shells as "divination" tools, which were extremely sacred. In the Zhou Dynasty, the official position of "turtle man" was specially set up, and he would "hold six turtles. If there is a sacrifice, the turtle will be carried to him ("Zhou Rites"). In the Han Dynasty, the gold seals used by the prime ministers, princes, and generals had the same buttons. It is in the shape of a turtle; the silver seals and buttons used by high-ranking officials with a salary of more than 2,000 stone are also the same. In official decorations, officials in the Tang Dynasty used to wear fish bags. After Wu Zetian came to power, it was changed to turtle bags, and the empress worshiped the spirit turtle. , obvious. In his later years, Lu You called himself "Guitang" and made a hat from a turtle shell to wear on his head to show his nobility. Everything must be reversed, and Gui seems to have violated this taboo. After the Yuan Dynasty, Gui's reputation suddenly declined , became ugly. Some people called the husband whose wife was unfaithful as wearing a "green turban". And because the glans was green, people who wore "green turbans" were called "turtles". So far, its insulting connotation has become It’s clear.

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