Although the existence of fossil turtles in Makrygialos and the surrounding areas,
on the west side of the Thermaikos Gulf in Northern Greece, has been known for almost
two decades, it has not been studied so far in detail. Over the last 5 years, we have
conducted systematic fieldwork and exploration, focusing on the discovery and recovery
of fossils in the coastal broader area of Makrygialos. Eleven turtle specimens have
been found so far, eight of which have been collected, on the outcrops of the beaches
of Makrygialos and Agiannis. Their age is estimated between the latest Miocene and
Pliocene. Four of these specimens are terrestrial giant tortoises, two of them are
small tortoises which we identify as the species Chersine hermanni sensu lato, and
the last two are freshwater turtles which we attribute to the genus Mauremys sensu
lato. Here, we present our studies on the small-sized turtle species from this region.
The fossil turtle fauna of Makrygialos is among the richest and most diverse in Greece,
as in only a few other Greek localities at least three species of fossil turtles have
been found. The C. hermanni specimens found in Makrygialos are probably the oldest
fossils of the species found in Europe. The small-turtle faunal composition during
the Neogene along the east and west sides of the Thermaikos Gulf was completely different.
