Cratochelone

Cra-to-cel-one.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Cratochelone.

Phonetic

Cra-to-cel-one.

Named By

Herber L.‭ ‬Longman‭ ‬-‭ ‬1915.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Testudines,‭ ‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Protostegidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬berneyi‭

Size

Possibly up to about‭ ‬4‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Australia,‭ ‬Queensland‭ ‬-‭ ‬Toolebuc Formation.

Time Period

Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial fore limb remains as well as a fragment of shell.

In Depth

       Though only known from partial remains,‭ ‬Cratochelone has been confirmed as being a protostegid turtle,‭ ‬and one that was very large in‭ ‬size.‭ ‬Though some researchers have credited Cratochelone as being only about‭ ‬two meters in length,‭ ‬the original and more recent studies have ascertained that Cratochelone may have actually reached up to four meters in‭ ‬length,‭ ‬making Cratochelone comparable to genera such as Archelon and Protostega

Further Reading

Further reading -‭ ‬On a giant turtle from the Queensland Lower Cretaceous.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Memoirs of the Queensland Museum‭ ‬3:‭ ‬24‭–‬29.‭ ‬ISSN‭ ‬0079-8835.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Herber L.‭ ‬Longman‭ ‬-‭ ‬1915. -‭ ‬Reassessment of Cratochelone berneyi Longman,‭ ‬1915,‭ ‬a giant sea turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Australia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬26‭ (‬3‭)‬:‭ ‬779‭–‬783.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Benjamin P.‭ ‬Kear‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

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