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The Most Interesting Extinct Turtles

The Most Interesting Extinct Turtles. Amy Baxter. Marine sea turtle Lived in late Cretaceous period, 75-65 million years ago Largest fossil found was 4m long (13 ft) and 4.9m wide (16 ft) Estimated weight is 4,500 lbs. Closest living relative is the leatherback sea turtle. Archelon.

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The Most Interesting Extinct Turtles

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  1. The Most Interesting Extinct Turtles Amy Baxter

  2. Marine sea turtle Lived in late Cretaceous period, 75-65 million years ago Largest fossil found was 4m long (13 ft) and 4.9m wide (16 ft) Estimated weight is 4,500 lbs. Closest living relative is the leatherback sea turtle Archelon

  3. Did not have a solid shell Skeletal framework supported a leathery carapace Pointed tail, narrow skull, narrow, high-vaulted skull Pronounced overbite Strong bite, omnivore Could live to 100 years old Biology

  4. Long flippers suggest it was a long distance swimmer in open water Slow mover, most food found near sea surface Couldn’t withdraw head or arms into shell, easy prey Laid eggs like modern sea turtles in buried sand Life

  5. Extinct terrestrial Australian turtle Survived until 2,000 years ago Surviving relatives are cryptodire turtles of South America Fed on plants Lived in Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia, Vanuatu Meiolania

  6. Skull had protruding horns that faced sideways Skull was 60cm (2 ft) wide Tail was armored with thorn-like spikes at the end 2.5m (8.2 ft) in length, second largest non-marine turtle Biology

  7. Extinction • Thought to be hunted to extinction by Lapita people 3,000 years ago • Bones found in garbage dump at an archeological site • Bones were not present in younger layers, killed off within 300 years of human contact

  8. Second oldest turtle species to date Found in Thailand and Germany, from late Triassic period, 210 million years ago Proganochelys

  9. 1 m long, 50-100 lbs. Lacked teeth, though likely had a beak, small denticles on the palate Heavily armored shell from fused bony plates and ribs Long, spiked tail that ended in a club Could not retract head into shell Neck protected by small spines Life/Biology

  10. Giant monster turtle from Japan Created in 1965 to rival Godzilla Fire-breathing, prehistoric tortoise Feeds on petroleum based materials, attracted to power plants Breathes fire and ability to fly Gamera!

  11. Walks on two legs Lots of teeth Two protruding tusks Strong and resilient shell can protect from missiles Can withdraw into shell to avoid attacks While flying, can pull arms and legs into shell, spin and spit fire from arm cavaties Only major weakness is cold Appearance/Capabilities

  12. Gamera is a named extinct species from the Cretaceous of China. Good example of what can happen to fossils in the non-peer-reviewed literature! Fire-breathing, prehistoric tortoise Gamera is a real fossil!

  13. Works Cited • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archelon • http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/seamonsters/factfiles/archelon.shtml • http://www.bhigr.com/pages/info/info_arch.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiolania • http://australianmuseum.net.au/ • http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/predinosaurreptiles/p/meiolania.htm

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