Almost all of the caches in this series are 2WD drive accessible. There are a few that are down spur roads that are an easy walk. Remember, there is NO cell service out there, so don't take chances! Many areas of the Osceola can be wet, so please remember to bring boots!
I found a spot in the Osceola for a cute turtle geoart.
To find the cords for the true location of the caches, just answer the easy questions about turtles.
Researchers from the United States and Germany have discovered a key missing link in the evolutionary history of turtles. The new extinct species of reptile, Pappochelys, was unearthed in an area that was an ancient lake in southern Germany about 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Period. Its physical traits make it a clear intermediate between two of the earliest known turtles, Eunotosaurus and Odontochelys. Features in the skull of Pappochelys also provide critical evidence that turtles are most closely related to other modern reptiles, such as lizards and snakes. Previously, scientists believed that turtles may have descended from the earliest known reptiles. “The mystery of how the turtle got its shell has been a long-standing question in evolutionary biology,” said Sues. “In the case of Pappochelys, we see that its belly was protected by an array of rod-like bones, some of which are already fused to each other. Such a stage in the evolution of the turtle shell had long been predicted by embryological research on present-day turtles but had never been observed in fossils—until now.” Pappochelys could fit in the palm of a human hand and grow up to 8 inches in length. It lived in a tropical environment along the shores of a lake in what is now southern Germany. Pappochelys used its tiny, peg-like teeth to feed on small insects and worms and had a long tail, possibly to help with swimming.
The discovery of Pappochelys confirms that:
A) Turtles have always had shells -N30 24.967 W082 18.261
B) The plastron was formed through the fusion of rib-like structures - N30 24.050 W082 18.657
C) The Pappochelys dates back only 10 million years - N30 23.783 W082 18.902