In Depth Atolchelys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in Brazil during the Cretaceous. Further Reading - Atolchelys lepida, a new side-necked turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil and the age of crown Pleurodira. Biology Letters 10(20140290). - P. S. R. Romano, V. Gallo, R. R. C. Ramos & L. Antonioli - … Read more
In Depth Allopleuron was a large sea turtle that swam in the late Cretaceous seas and may have had a cosmopolitan distribution at least across the Northern Hemisphere. Several species have been named in the past but today some only consider the type species A. hofmanni as valid. With remains possibly being as late as … Read more
In Depth Ocepechelon is a fascinating genus of sea turtle for two reasons. First, with a skull that was seventy centimetres long, Ocepechelon must have been huge, but unfortunately without a shell and/or post cranial skeleton we don’t know how big. Second, the mouth of Ocepechelon is formed into a pipette-like feature which suggests that … Read more
In Depth Gilmoremys is a species of turtle that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Description of two new species of turtles, from the Lance Formation of Wyoming. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 50(2137):614-646. - C. W. Gilmore - 1916. - New material of Gilmoremys lancensis nov. comb. … Read more
In Depth Alienochelys is a genus or turtle that lived during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A strange new chelonioid turtle from the latest Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco. - Comptes Rendus Palevol 13(2):87-95. - F. de Lapparent de Broin, N. Bardet, M. Amaghzaz & S. Meslouh - 2014.
In Depth Adocus is a genus of freshwater cryptodiran turtle that lived in both Asia and North America. Most Canadian and American fossils are confirmed as coming from Cretaceous deposits, however some fossils are determined as coming from deposits after the Cretaceous, with some as recent as the late Oligocene. Adocus is known to have … Read more
In Depth Kurmademys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in India during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - Kurmademys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Late Cretaceous of India. - American Museum Novitates 3321:1-16. - E. S. Gaffney, S. Chatterjee, & D. K. Rudra - 2001.
In Depth Atlantochelys was first named in 1849 and based upon the description of half a humerus (analogous to your upper arm bone). For well over one hundred and fifty years that was it, but then in 2012 the missing half of this bone was actually matched up to the original specimen. Although Atlantochelys may … Read more
In Depth Closely related to the genus Foxemys, Puentemys is recognised as the largest known bothremydid turtle in the fossil record with a shell length of just over one and a half meters. Bothremydid turtles like Puentemys are a special group of the Pleurodira, a group more popularly known as ‘side-necked turtles’. This is because … Read more
In Depth Eodortoka is a genus of turtle that lived in Spain during the early Cretaceous. Further Reading - Eodortoka morellana gen. et sp. nov., the first pan-pleurodiran turtle (Dortokidae) defined in the Lower Cretaceous of Europe. - Cretaceous Research 48:130-138. - A. Perez-Garcia, J. M. Gasulla & F. Ortega - 2014.