Archelon
Archelon was a huge marine turtle (Testudines) that was the size of a car. It lived in North America 74 million years ago (from the Upper Cretaceous) in the epeiric inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway. Fossils have been found in the U.S. states of Kansas and South Dakota.
| Archelon Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous
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| Type specimen (YPM 3000) of Archelon ischyros | |
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| Genus: | Archelon
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| Archelon ischyros Wieland, 1896
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This carnivore was up to 4.6 metres (15 ft) long.[1][2] It had a wide, flattened shell, paddle-like legs, a long, narrow head, weak jaws, and a short, pointed tail. Its only predators were probably the larger mosasaurs. From its beak, its own food was probably squid.
Archelon, like other turtles, had a solidly-roofed skull with no opening (except for eyes, and nostrils).
Archelon Media
The leatherback sea turtle was previously thought to be the closest living relative.
Protostega, namesake of Protostegidae
Archelon had a pronounced beak.
Foreflipper of Archelon
Archelon ischyros - giant sea turtle from Campanian of Pierre Shale in South Dakota
Archelon plastron at the North American Museum of Ancient Life
Eutrephoceras dekayi may have been a food source. Above from the Natural History Museum Nuremberg
"Brigitta," the largest specimen, at the Natural History Museum Vienna
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References
- ↑ World's largest sea turtle. Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. [1] Archived 2016-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Mike Everhart 2004/2012 "Marine turtles from the Western Interior Sea". Oceansofkansas.com. Retrieved 2009-03-14.