Cool: Family's Alabama Fishing Trip Leads to 'One-in-a-Million' Fossil Discovery

A family fishing trip in south Alabama led to the remarkable discovery of a 32-million-year-old leatherback sea turtle fossil, now identified as a new genus and species named Ueloca colemanorum.

Named in part using the Muscogee language by Tribal Members of the Poarch Creek Indians, the fossil is among the most complete leatherback specimens ever found. The discovery has not only helped scientists better understand the history of leatherback sea turtles but also highlights both Alabama’s growing reputation as a fossil hotspot and the Tribe’s commitment to preserving language and culture in scientific records.