''Chelydrops'' is an extinct genus of
Chelydridae
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontemy ...
from
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Only one species is described, ''Chelydrops stricta'' (Matthew, 1924).
The genus was considered by Hutchison (2008) to be a junior synonym of the genus ''
Macrochelys'', containing the
alligator snapping turtle
The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in ...
; Hutchison transferred the species ''C. stricta'' to the genus ''Macrochelys''.
References
* Carroll, R. L. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H Freeman Company, 1988.
Chelydridae
Miocene turtles
Miocene reptiles of North America
Prehistoric turtle genera
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters
Fossil taxa described in 1868
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