Lack of Evidence for Turtle Evolution

After my recent visit to the town for supplies, I headed up yonder toward the Darwin Ranch. You have to go past Stinking Lake (which is not as bad as it sounds) near Deception Pass. There was a ruckus so loud that it distracted the Winkie Guards, and I could hear them (the ranch hands, not the guards) arguing about turtle evolution again.

Original image credit: Pexels / Richard Segal

Listening in on them cleared up something I had not bothered to check before: tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. The main difference is that tortoises spend more of their time on land and turtles prefer water. The main row was the long-running contention about the evolution of turtles. There isn't any. Nuffin at all, and the fossil record is a hostile witness. Turtles were created to be what they are, although there are variations.

Turtles (Chelonia) are found in oceans, freshwater ponds, and on land. The Galapagos tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and, like the sea turtle, is able to live well over a century. A 100% turtle fossil (Stupendemys geographicus) recently discovered in South America is the shape and size of a small car. Turtles are a truly unique kind of reptile designed with over 50 bones.

You can read the rest of the article by clicking on "Turtles Have Always Been Turtles".