| Archelon Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
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| Archelon ischyros Wieland, 1896 |
- ARCHELON is also a sea-turtle conservation society, see ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
Archelon is a genus of extinct sea turtle, the largest that has ever been documented. Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white Chalk cliffs of southern England Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins are ectothermic Reptiles most of whose Body is shielded by a special Cryptodira is the taxonomic Suborder of Testudines that includes most living Tortoises and Turtles Cryptodira differ from Pleurodira Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year ARCHELON the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece was founded in 1983 Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. The largest Archelon fossil, found in the Pierre Shale of South Dakota in the 1970s, measures more than 13. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. 5 feet (4 meters) long, and about 16 feet wide from flipper to flipper. It was a seagoing turtle, related to present day Leatherback Sea Turtles. The leatherback turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living turtles [1] Its fossils date to 70 million years ago in the Cretaceous period, when a shallow sea covered most of central North America. The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of Most of the known remains have been found in South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and [2] Though anatomically similar to the earlier species Protostega gigas, it was much larger. Protostega gigas ('first roof' - 'giant' is an extinct species of Marine turtle. [3]
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Biology
Unlike most modern turtles, Archelon didn't have a solid shell, but instead had a skeletal framework supporting a leathery or bony carapace. Other distinguishing features include a pointed tail, a narrow skull, a relatively narrow, high-vaulted shell, and a pronounced overbite. [4] They probably had a very strong bite, and were optimized for feeding on pelagic mollusks such as squid. Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 Squid are marine Cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species [5] Some specimens, such as the one owned by the National Natural History Museum in Vienna, apparently died while brumating on the ocean floor. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth development and (in animals physical activity is temporarily suspended [6] This same specimen also suggests a century-long life span. [7]
The live weight of an Archelon ischyros is estimated at more than 4,500 pounds (2200 kilograms).
Popular Culture
- The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists
- Dinozaurs
- Archelon appeared in the Walking with Dinosaurs spinoff special Sea Monsters. The Land Before Time IV Journey Through the Mists (1996 is a film directed by Roy Allen Smith DinoZaurs The Series, also known as Prehistoric Warriors and in Japan, is the name of a show which is a combination of Japanese Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part Television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK Sea Monsters was a BBC Television program which used Computer-generated imagery to show past life in Earth's seas
Gallery
 Map of North America during the Cretaceous period. |
 Skeleton held in Yale University |
External links
References
- ^ http://www.uhaul.com/supergraphics/turtle/archelon.html
- ^ http://www.uhaul.com/supergraphics/turtle/archelon.html
- ^ Marine Turtles
- ^ http://www.uhaul.com/supergraphics/turtle/archelon.html
- ^ BHI/Fossils & Minerals/Rept. and Amph./Archelon
- ^ BHI/Fossils & Minerals/Rept. and Amph./Archelon
- ^ BHI/Fossils & Minerals/Rept. and Amph./Archelon
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research
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