Palaeobiologists from the University of Tübingen have described a previously unknown turtle species that lived in what is now Romania some 70 million years ago. The reptile, measuring 19 cm in length, has no close relatives now but is a member of the larger group of side-necked turtles that are today found mostly in the southern hemisphere. Its closest relative is recorded in more recent fossils dating to about 57 million years ago, also from Romania. This indicates the evolutionary lineage survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, which killed off at least 75 percent of all life forms, including the non-avian dinosaurs. University of Tübingen biogeologist Dr. Márton Rabi headed the research team, whose description of the species has been published in the latest Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The species is named Dortoka vremiri, after Mátyás Vremir, a key researcher into Cretaceous vertebrate faunas who passed away in 2020.