Placochelys
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Placochelys Temporal range: Mid to Late Triassic |
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| Restored Placochelys placodonta skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Placodontia |
| Family: | †Placochelyidae |
| Genus: |
†Placochelys Jaekel, 1902 |
Placochelys ('flat-plate turtle") 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.
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 pallet, were most likely used for crushing shellfish and hard-shelled preys. Its limbs were paddle-shaped for swimming, although, unlike modern sea turtles, they still had clear toes, and it also had a short tail.
Life restoration of Placochelys
Placochelys placodonta fossil skull, lateral view
Placochelys placodonta skull seen from below
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Wikipedia