The fossil, named Peltocephalus maturin, is among the largest freshwater turtles ever found, researchers said.
Researchers who found a giant freshwater turtle fossil discovered in Brazil have named it Peltocephalus maturin after a character in one of Stephen King's novels. The fossil was 'among the largest freshwater turtles ever found,' researchers said in the release of their findings on Wednesday in the British journal Biology Letters. 'Only a handful of them have crossed the 150 cm threshold in the past,' researchers said.
'What would our ancestors have thought if they really saw such a giant alive? Would they be afraid of it? Would they hunt it for food or worship it? Or both?' Ferreira wrote in an email to CBS News.The turtle's size inspired the etymology, Ferreira said. As researchers were casting around for a name, one of them, Miriam Pacheco, a big fan of King's novels, suggested Maturin.