Alienochelys
Alienochelys ("strange turtle") is an extinct genus of sea turtle known from Maastrichian-aged Cretaceous phosphates in Morocco.[1] With a skull measuring 41.5 centimetres (1.36 ft) long,[2] it would have been a large turtle measuring 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) long and weighing 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) in real life.[3] It was first described as a member of the family Dermochelyidae, meaning that it is a relative of the modern leatherback turtle,[2] though a 2018 study identifies it as a sister taxon of Ocepechelon belonging to the family Protostegidae, indicating that it may have been closer to the extinct Archelon.[4] Unlike other sea turtles, Alienochelys' the jaws being adapted for a powerful crushing pattern well adapted for a durophagous lifestyle, as well as its unusual cranial characteristics.[2][5]
Alienochelys Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
---|---|
Skull of specimen. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | †Protostegidae |
Genus: | †Alienochelys de Lapparent de Broin, 2014 |
Type species | |
†Alienochelys selloumi de Lapparent de Broin, 2014 |
References
- "Fossilworks: Alienochelys". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- de Lapparent de Broin, France; Bardet, Nathalie; Amaghzaz, Mbarek; Meslouh, Saïd (2014). "A strange new chelonioid turtle from the Latest Cretaceous Phosphates of Morocco". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (2): 87–95. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2013.07.008.
- Paul, Gregory S. (2022). The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles. Princeton University Press. p. 184. doi:10.1515/9780691241456. ISBN 9780691193809.
- Scavezzoni, I.; Fischer, V. (2018). "Rhinochelys amaberti Moret (1935), a Protostegid Turtle from the Early Cretaceous of France". PeerJ. 10 (6): e4594. doi:10.7717/peerj.4594. PMC 5898427. PMID 29666758.
- Cooper, S.L.A.; Marson, K.J.; Smith, R.E.; Martill, D. (2022). "Contrasting preservation in pycnodont fishes reveals first record of regurgitalites from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Moroccan phosphate deposits". Cretaceous Research. 131 (4). 105111. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105111.