Five giant turtle fossils which lived 2.5 million years ago were found on the beach of Makrigialos, Pieria, northern Greece. One of them was unearthed by the team of Associate professor of Paleontology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Evangelia Tsoukalas.

The turtle fossil weights 800 kg and is one meter long and was stuck in the sand. Its existence is known for about 10 years, but no action was taken until current Municipal Authority financed the excavation which cost around 4,000 euros.

The existence of turtle fossils in the area of Thermaikos gulf is widely known since the beginnings of the previous century. Other turtle fossils have been identified in Epanomi in Angelochori and Nea Kallikratia. They used to dig burrows in the ground as today’s giant turtles do in North and Central America.