Placochelys | |
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Restored Placochelys placodonta skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
Scientific classification
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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.
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]
This genus includes only one species:
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]
Placochelys | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Restored Placochelys placodonta skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
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.
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]
This genus includes only one species:
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]