Fossilized turtle shells taken from a Polish garbage dump have been considered the oldest and most complete paleontologists have yet discovered.

Experts say the shells, which date back 215 million years, could provide invaluable clues to solving the riddle of the origin of this ancient reptile revered by cultures around the world.

“I would say my guardian angel brought me here,” said Tomasz Sulej, the paleobiologist who made the discovery.

Ancient: A fossil of one of the world’s oldest known turtle shells with a limb bone dating back 215 million years, discovered in a clay deposit at a garbage dump northwest of Krakow, Poland.

His research was guided by a hunch that inspired him to snoop around a landfill near the town of Poreba, in a region known as Poland’s Jurassic Highlands, in September 2008.

Elation came after just 15 minutes when he discovered a prized turtle fossil, which recent tests have confirmed is the oldest yet found anywhere in the world.

The prestigious Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and National Geographic Polska recently published details of the discovery.

‘Turtle fossils from the Late Triassic are extremely old. There are about eight places in the world where they can be found, and here in Poland we have the oldest and most extensive collection,” Dr Sulej told AFP.

“Finding something that has been in the mud for 215 million years is like bringing it back to life,” he added.

“I would say my guardian angel brought me here”: Paleobiologist Tomasz Sulej says a hunch led him to the site and he rescued the fossil after just 15 minutes.

The bright yellow rays on the shell of a rayed tortoise native to Madagascar catch the attention of schoolchildren visiting the Warsaw Zoo.

‘They’re like war tanks with their heavy armor!’ exclaims 12-year-old Wojtek.

But the shells that have provided turtles with protection from predators for eons are no match for humans.

Used for meat, traditional medicine or in the pet trade, this species could become extinct within Wojtek’s lifetime.

About half of the world’s 328 recognized species of marine, freshwater and terrestrial turtles could survive in the coming decades, according to the Turtle Conservation Coalition.

“After being here for a couple of hundred million years, dozens of turtle species are now on the verge of extinction, simply because they have been transported or eaten on an unprecedented scale, especially in Asia,” says Mariusz Lech, zoo reptile keeper.

These ancient creatures are known to live up to 130 years and have deep meaning as primordial symbols of longevity, stability, security and wisdom and feature in creation myths from India to native North America.

However, its future seems weak.

“Being realistic about the modern dangers they face, especially in Southeast Asia, China, the Philippines, Indonesia or Madagascar, turtles are rapidly disappearing,” Lech warned.

“Some species could disappear within 20 years if radical measures are not taken to protect them now.”

While turtle fossils of a similar age were also discovered in Germany, the Polish find includes shells, along with neck and tail vertebrae, as well as impressive limb bones.

“We have discovered two species, including one that is unknown,” said Dr. Sulej.

His team has identified a Proterochersis-type turtle similar to a single Proterochersis robusta fossil found in Germany, while another appears to be a smaller, as-yet-unknown species.

The picturesque and rugged landscape of this region, formed during the Jurassic era and known for its vast nearby coal reserves, has proven to be a prehistoric treasure.

Dr Sulej’s discovery came on the heels of a new 200-million-year-old dinosaur species discovered in nearby Lisowice in 2006-7.

It was named Smok Wawelski (Wawel Dragon) after a legendary fire-breathing dragon, whose supposed lair was in a cave at the foot of the 14th-century Wawel Castle in Krakow.

Other excavations in the area have found several hundred fossils of six species, including turtles, sharks, scaly fish and dinosaurs.

Now, Dr. Sulej says his mission is to find a ѕkᴜɩɩ turtle.

Although the fossils do not contain organic material for DNA testing, their structures held valuable clues about the origins of species.

“Each new turtle fossil is invaluable as it could provide clues to its origin, which until now has been a mystery,” he said.

These oldest creatures are thought to have evolved from Procolophons, a type of parareptile that lived in the Permian period until 300 million years ago.

The Odontochelys semitestace, a 2008 discovery in China that dates back 220 million years, has also been classified by experts as an ancestor of turtles, which like them had a Ьeɩɩу shell, but unlike them it had teeth and no it had a complete upper shell.

According to Dr Sulej, DNA testing of modern turtles suggests they may be related to crocodiles. Adding to the curiosity, Procolophons are not thought to be related to crocodiles, he said.