Kayentachelys Temporal range: Early Jurassic 196.5–183.0 Ma |
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Life restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Genus: |
†Kayentachelys Gaffney et al., 1987 |
Species: | †K. aprix |
Binomial name | |
Kayentachelys aprix Gaffney et al., 1987 |
Kayentachelys ("Kayenta shell") is an extinct genus of stem-turtle from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona.Kayentachelys was about 0.5 m (1.6 ft) wide and 0.6 m (2.0 ft) in length. It lived in an environment dominated by streams and dunes.
Kayentachelys was originally grouped as a primitive cryptodire and part of its own family, Kayentachelyidae. Below is the classification of Kayentachelys within Cryptodira: However, later analysis showed that it was more likely to be a primitive testudinatan outside the group containing living turtles.