One of the display cases at the Natural History Museum of Verona was recently exceptionally opened to allow new investigations on one of the most important specimens in the collection: a giant fossil sea turtle, over 2.5 meters in length, from the Upper Cretaceous of the Lessini Mountains.

The history of this specimen dates back to 1972, when it was discovered in a “lastame” quarry at Mount Loffa, near Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo (Verona Province). The “lastame” represents a distinctive stratigraphic interval within the Scaglia Rossa Formation, dated to the Turonian–lower Coniacian (approximately 94–88 million years ago), and records an ancient pelagic marine environment inhabited by large vertebrates, including sea turtles, large sharks, and mosasaurs.

The new research on this giant Cretaceous sea turtle was carried out within the PhD project of Riccardo Guerra at the Department of Geosciences, University of Padua, under the supervision of Prof. Luca Giusberti (Department of Geosciences, University of Padua,) and co-supervision of Dr. Giovanni Serafini (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia).

Following the opening of the display case, the work began with a detailed anatomical analysis of the skeletal remains, with particular focus on the best-preserved three-dimensional elements: the humeri, pectoral girdle, cervical vertebrae, and a rare skull fragment.

This was followed by high-resolution photographic documentation, which provided the basis for photogrammetric analysis. The detailed images, acquired by Stefano Castelli (Department of Geosciences), allowed the creation of two three-dimensional models: one of the left humerus, useful for taxonomic and paleobiological analyses, and one of the skull fragment, of particular importance due to its rarity and its relevance for phylogenetic and paleoneurological interpretations.

The investigation was further expanded through collaboration with the Sant’Antonio Veterinary Clinic (Castel d’Azzano, Verona), where CT scans were performed on the humerus, scapula, and coracoid. These analyses make it possible to examine the internal bone structure and, through comparison with modern species such as the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), to assess the degree of adaptation to pelagic swimming in this ancient organism.

Shooting and video editing by Barbara Paknazar

Taken together, these activities contribute to improving our understanding of the diversity and evolution of sea turtles in the western Tethys Ocean during the Cretaceous.

A day in which hands-on research, advanced technologies, and scientific documentation came together to deepen our understanding of one of the most significant fossil vertebrates from the Lessini Mountains.

We would like to thank the Natural History Museum of Verona and the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Verona, Rovigo and Vicenza for their collaboration and authorization of the analyses.