''Puppigerus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...

from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

. It is known from finds in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, and Uzbekistan.

Taxonomy

''Puppigerus'' was described by

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested ...

in 1870. As of 1997, ''P. camperi'' and ''P. crassicostata'' were considered the two valid species. ''P. camperi'' was later thought to be the sole species of the genus until the 2005 discovery of ''P. nessovi'' from Uzbekistan.

Description

Fossils show that ''Puppigerus'' was around long, and its weight has been estimated as being somewhere around . Although cheloniids such as ''Puppigerus'' first appeared during the Cretaceous, several traits of this genus give it more of a resemblance to modern cheloniids: its "huge" eyes pointed sideways rather than upward, unlike more primitive cheloniids, and its shell was completely

ossified Ossification (also called osteogenesis or bone mineralization) in bone remodeling is the process of laying down new bone material by Cell (biology), cells named osteoblasts. It is synonymous with bone tissue formation. There are two processes ...

. The pygal (rearmost plate of the upper shell) also lacked the notch seen in earlier cheloniids. It was a

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

, living on marine vegetation, and one of the "best-adapted" prehistoric turtles; its "unusually large" eyes helped it gather as much light as possible, and its specialized jaw structure kept it from accidentally breathing in water. Its front legs were flipper-like, but its hind legs were not developed in this manner, suggesting it would have spent considerable time on dry land, where females would have laid their eggs.

Palaeoecology

''Puppigerus camperi'' is known from the

London Clay The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...

and Bracklesham Beds of England, as well as the Sables de Bruxelles and the Sables de Wemmel of Belgium. ''P. nessovi'' is known from the Dzheroi 2 locality of Uzbekistan. A ''Puppigerus'' species is also known from the

Fur Formation The Fur Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (Lower Eocene Epoch, c. 56.0-54.5 Ma) age which crops out in the Limfjord region of Denmark from Silstrup via Mors and Fur to Ertebølle, and can be seen in many cliffs and quarries in ...

of Denmark.

References

{{Testudines Cenozoic turtles of North America Eocene reptiles of Europe Cheloniidae Eocene reptiles Fossil taxa described in 1870 Eocene reptiles of Asia Prehistoric turtle genera Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Extinct turtles Fur Formation