Prehistoric Period

Chelonia agassizii, the scientific name for black sea turtles, is a very young species. It is thought to have split off from the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) about two to three million years ago, in the Pliocene period, according to genetic data. This proves that while the Black Sea Turtle did not exist throughout the greater ancient epochs, its progenitors were undoubtedly there.

The collective development of turtles began around 220 million years ago, during the Late Triassic epoch. Turtles of the sea first emerged over 100 million years ago, in the Cretaceous epoch. The Black Sea Turtle and other current sea turtles may trace their ancestry back to these long-gone aquatic reptiles. There are now more species of sea turtle than there were millions of years ago due to a combination of natural selection and evolutionary forces.

It is very probable that climate and geological changes, which ushered in new habitats and separated populations, were the primary drivers of the Black Sea Turtle's split from the green sea turtle. Marine life was impacted by the Pliocene Epoch's development of the Isthmus of Panama, which changed ocean currents and temperatures. Many marine animals, including sea turtles, would have had their evolutionary paths impacted by such occurrences.

A unique set of adaptations to the peculiarities of the eastern Pacific Ocean paved the way for the Black Sea Turtle's evolutionary trajectory. The ecological niches that these turtles occupied were different from those that the extinct green sea turtles occupied. Traits that were advantageous in this new habitat, such darker coloration and certain foraging habits, were gradually preferred by natural selection.

A lineage that has survived glacial ages, volcanic eruptions, and changing continents includes the relatives of Black Sea Turtles, who just emerged relatively recently. The extensive evolutionary history of sea turtles helps put their remarkable adaptation and resilience into perspective. Furthermore, it stresses how critical it is to protect their natural environments for the sake of their existence.

The modern black sea turtle has adapted to its surroundings and now lives in coastal and nearshore areas abundant in seagrass and algae. Natural and human-caused forces have worked together over millennia to form these ecosystems. One way to have a better grasp of marine ecosystems and how human activities affect species diversity is to study the Black Sea Turtle's evolutionary past.