What does the name archelon mean?
The Archelon’s name originates from its Greek roots “arke” meaning chief and “chelone” meaning turtle. Or Ruler turtle. This turtle didn’t have the same kind of hard shell or carapace that modern turtles do today.
How do you spell archelon?
Archelon, extinct giant sea turtle known from fossilized remains found in North American rocks of the Late Cretaceous epoch (100 million to 66 million years ago).
How do you pronounce Deinonychus?
- Phonetic spelling of deinonychus. dahy-non-i-kuh s.
- Meanings for deinonychus.
- Synonyms for deinonychus. deinonychuses.
- Examples of in a sentence.
- Translations of deinonychus.
What is the dictionary definition of an Archelon?
Definition of Archelon. : a genus of very large extinct marine turtles from the Cretaceous of South Dakota having a well-developed plastron but poorly developed carapace. You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Where was the first specimen of Archelon found?
The first specimen of Archelon (YPM 3000) was collected from the Campanian-age Pierre Shale of South Dakota (a geological formation dated to 80.5 million years ago) by Dr. G.R. Wieland in 1895 and described by him the following year (Wieland, 1896).
How big was the largest Archelon in the world?
The largest specimen, Brigitta, measures around 460 cm (15 ft) from head to tail and 400 cm (13 ft) from flipper to flipper, and, in life, weighed around 2,200 kg (4,900 lb). Archelon had a distinctly elongated and narrow head. It had a defined hooked beak which was probably covered in a sheath in life, reminiscent of the beaks of birds of prey.
Which is the closest living relative of Archelon?
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) was once thought to be its closest living relative, but now, Protostegidae is thought to be a completely separate lineage from any living sea turtle. Archelon had a leathery carapace instead of the hard shell seen in sea turtles.