The –est Animals

A rare, ancient case of bone cancer has been found in a turtle ancestor

A 240-million-year-old fossil is the oldest known example of this disease in amniotes

Pappochelys rosinae

TRIASSIC TURTLE  An extinct ancestor of modern turtles called Pappochelys rosinae (illustrated) had bone cancer, the oldest known case in an amniote, a group that includes mammals, birds and reptiles.

Brian Engh/dontmesswithdinosaurs.com

By Aimee Cunningham

- More than 2 years ago

A 240-million-year-old case of bone cancer has turned up in a fossil of an extinct ancestor of turtles.