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
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Protostegidae
Genus:	Archelon
Binomial name
Archelon ischyros Wieland, 1896

This carnivore was up to 4.6 metres (15 ft) long. 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 American journal of science (1900) (18155231621).jpg

  Archelon had a pronounced beak.

• ArchelonCMNHand.jpg

  Foreflipper of Archelon

• Archelon1DB.jpg

  Archelon ischyros - giant sea turtle from Campanian of Pierre Shale in South Dakota

• Archelon ischyros (ventral view).JPG

  Archelon Plastron at the North American Museum of Ancient Life

• Leatherback Sea Turtle (17665415746).jpg

  The leatherback sea turtle was previously thought to be the closest living relative.

• Protostega Gigas.jpg

  Protostega, the type genus of the Protostegidae

• Eutrephoceras dekayi var. montanensis - Naturhistorisches Museum Nürnberg - Nuremberg, Germany - DSC04178.jpg

  Eutrephoceras dekayi may have been a food source. Above from the Natural History Museum Nuremberg

• Archelon ischyros NHM Wien.jpg

  "Brigitta," the largest specimen, at the Natural History Museum Vienna