Placochelys

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Placochelys
Temporal range: Late Triassic (Norian to Rhaetian),
221.5–205.6  Ma
Placochelys.jpg
Restored Placochelys placodonta skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Sauropterygia
Order: Placodontia
Family: Placochelyidae
Genus: Placochelys
Jaekel, 1902

Placochelys (from Greek : plax, plakos, "plate" and Greek : chelys, "tortoise") [1] is an extinct genus of placodont reptiles erected by Otto Jaekel in 1902.

Contents

Fossil records

Fossils of Placochelys dates back to the Triassic period (age range: 221.5 to 205.6 million years ago). They have been found in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Italy. [2]

Species

This genus includes only one species:

Description

Placochelys looked remarkably similar to a sea turtle, and grew to about 90 centimetres (3.0 ft) in length. It had a flat turtle-like carapace covered with knobbly plates, and a compact triangular skull. Its beaked skull had powerful muscles. It had only two pairs of palatal teeth, a large posterior pair, and a small rostral pair. The specialized broad teeth on the palate, were most likely used for crushing shellfish and hard-shelled prey. Its limbs were paddle-shaped for swimming, although, unlike modern sea turtles, they still had discernable toes, and it also had a short tail. [3]

Bibliography

References

  1. Colbert, Edwin H. (Edwin Harris); Knight, Charles Robert (1951). The dinosaur book: the ruling reptiles and their relatives. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 153.
  2. Paleobiology Database
  3. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 71. ISBN   1-84028-152-9.