The bones of an extinct leatherback turtle that swam in the South Sea 40 million years ago are associated with a literary giant.
Museum guide Emma Morris said the ancient fossils were named Psephophorus terrypratchettiAfter the late British novelist Terry Pratchett, he is known for his series of books set in Discworld.
“Discworld is a flat world that travels through space on the back of a giant turtle.
“I grew up reading Terry Pratchett’s book, so when I came here in 2015 and started working at the museum, this seemed to be the most exciting thing for me,” she said.
Miss Morris’ formative experience urged her to meet Pratchett at the age of eight and take her grandmother to sign a book in Auckland.
“I bullied her and took me,” she joked.
The fossil turtle was discovered in the fossil layer of South Canterbury in 1995 and was named by the late Dr. Richard Kohler, a scientist at the University of Otago.
At that time, Pratchett said he was proud of the name.
Write in his book Discworld companion He said, “It tickles my imagination.”
“40 million years ago, this was rowing around the world and eating jellyfish, and now I have a connection with this short bald man. At that time, my seed was still saying” OK “. rice field. “
Miss Morris said there is still only one species of leatherback turtle. Leatherback turtle..
One was captured off the coast of Oamaru in 1957, and model examples can be seen at the Tufra Otago Museum.
“Actually, it is on the verge of extinction.”
Leatherback turtles can travel far more than other turtle species and are so large that they were able to control their temperature.
“They make thousands or thousands of trips when feeding after the breeding season, so they have been tracked for trips from Asia to North America. Therefore, they Travel long distances. “