2000 Year Old Tortoise And Its Egg Found In Pompeii

The remains of a 2000-year-old tortoise with its fragile egg have been found in Pompeii, the Ancient Roman city buried by the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The unusual discovery took place, as part of an excavation and research campaign on the ruined city's Stabian baths. The female reptile had probably taken refuge in the abandoned space to find a suitable place for the deposition of its only egg. If they do not find a suitable place to lay eggs, tortoises can retain their eggs, encountering often fatal problems often dying rather than lay eggs where the environment is not right for their offspring. The tortoise is thought to have found its refuge following a devastating earthquake 62 AD when the city was rebuilt before the eruption buried it for good 17 years later.