''Corsochelys'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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, loggerhe ...

that lived in the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', ...

(

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...

). Zangerl (1960) named the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

(and currently only species; ''C. haliniches''), based upon remains found in

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within the Mooreville Chalk Formation (the lower part of the Selma Group).Hiryana R. 1997. Distribution and diversity of Cretaceous chelonioids. In: ''Ancient Marine Reptiles'' (eds.) Callaway JM, Nicholls EL. Academic Press. pp. 225-241.

Description

''Corsochelys'' is a basal dermochelyid. As with other basal chelonioids (such as '' Santanachelys'' and ''

Toxochelys ''Toxochelys'' () is an extinct genus of marine turtle from the Late Cretaceous period. It is the most commonly found fossilized turtle species in the Smoky Hill Chalk, in western Kansas. Description ''Toxochelys'' was about 2 m (6 ...

''), ''Corsochelys'' possesses a large foramen interorbitale with a narrow processus inferior parietalis, which indicates that the genus possessed salt-excreting lachrymal glands.Hiryana R. 1998. Oldest known sea turtle. ''Nature'' 392:705-708.
Retrieved on June 20th, 2008. In addition to its similarly to these genera, ''Corsochelys'' retains a carapace with minimally reduced coastal plates. Like the larger '' Archelon'', ''Corsochelys'' had channels penetrating the subphyseal plate from bone into the cartilage above,Snover ML, Rhodin AGL. 2007. Comparative ontogenetic and phylogenetic aspects of chelonian chondro-osseous growth and skeletochronology. In: Wyneken J, Godfrey M, Mels V. (eds.). ''The biology of turtles''. USA: CRC Press pp. 17-43.
Retrieved on June 20th, 2008. much like the

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

leatherback turtle. This means that ''Corsochelys'' would have reached their large size quickly through fast skeletal growth, as with the leatherback. Recently, a dermochelyid that closely resembles ''Corsochelys'' was found in the

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval ...

deposits of the

Ouled Abdoun The Oulad Abdoun Basin (also known as the Ouled Abdoun Basin or Khouribga Basin) is a phosphate sedimentary basin located in Morocco, near the city of Khouribga. It is the largest in Morocco, comprising 44% of Morocco's phosphate reserves, and a ...

phosphate basin,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

.Tong H, Hirayama R. 2004. First Cretaceous dermochelyid turtle from Africa. ''Revue de Paléobiologie, Genève'' 9: 55-59.
Retrieved on June 20th, 2008.

References

External links

''Corsochelys''
in the

Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

{{Dermochelyidae Dermochelyidae Late Cretaceous turtles of North America Prehistoric turtle genera Mooreville Chalk Extinct turtles Monotypic prehistoric reptile genera

Description

References

Suggested further reading

External links