A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe
Abstract Marine turtles were common in the subtropical Upper Cretaceous epi-continental seas that once washed the coasts of the ancient European archipelago. But unlike its contemporaneous faunas from North America, in Europe no taxon surpassed the 1.5 m shell-length. Here, the remains of a new larg...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22619-w |
| _version_ | 1797984086668607488 |
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| author | Oscar Castillo-Visa Àngel H. Luján Àngel Galobart Albert Sellés |
| author_facet | Oscar Castillo-Visa Àngel H. Luján Àngel Galobart Albert Sellés |
| author_sort | Oscar Castillo-Visa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Marine turtles were common in the subtropical Upper Cretaceous epi-continental seas that once washed the coasts of the ancient European archipelago. But unlike its contemporaneous faunas from North America, in Europe no taxon surpassed the 1.5 m shell-length. Here, the remains of a new large marine turtle, Leviathanochelys aenigmatica gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle Campanian of the Southern Pyrenees are described. Anatomical and histological evidence concur in identifying the specimen as a basal chelonioid. The new taxon autapomorphically differs from other marine turtles by possessing an additional process on the anteromedial side of the pelvis, and an acetabulum directed strongly ventrally. Based on the pelvis size, it is likely that Leviathanochelys was as large as Archelon, thus becoming one of the largest marine turtles found to ever exist. The large body size of the new taxon could have evolved as a response to the unique habitat conditions of the European Cretaceous archipelago seas. The presence of the accessory pubic process further suggests the occurrence of an additional insertion point of the Musculus rectus abdominis, which together with the paleohistologic evidences support the hypothesis that the new taxon had an open marine pelagic lifestyle. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:57:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1d42a70f20f42d0a71962a945d1abc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:57:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1d42a70f20f42d0a71962a945d1abc52022-12-22T04:39:00ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-11-0112111010.1038/s41598-022-22619-wA gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western EuropeOscar Castillo-Visa0Àngel H. Luján1Àngel Galobart2Albert Sellés3Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInstitut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInstitut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaInstitut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaAbstract Marine turtles were common in the subtropical Upper Cretaceous epi-continental seas that once washed the coasts of the ancient European archipelago. But unlike its contemporaneous faunas from North America, in Europe no taxon surpassed the 1.5 m shell-length. Here, the remains of a new large marine turtle, Leviathanochelys aenigmatica gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle Campanian of the Southern Pyrenees are described. Anatomical and histological evidence concur in identifying the specimen as a basal chelonioid. The new taxon autapomorphically differs from other marine turtles by possessing an additional process on the anteromedial side of the pelvis, and an acetabulum directed strongly ventrally. Based on the pelvis size, it is likely that Leviathanochelys was as large as Archelon, thus becoming one of the largest marine turtles found to ever exist. The large body size of the new taxon could have evolved as a response to the unique habitat conditions of the European Cretaceous archipelago seas. The presence of the accessory pubic process further suggests the occurrence of an additional insertion point of the Musculus rectus abdominis, which together with the paleohistologic evidences support the hypothesis that the new taxon had an open marine pelagic lifestyle.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22619-w |
| spellingShingle | Oscar Castillo-Visa Àngel H. Luján Àngel Galobart Albert Sellés A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe Scientific Reports |
| title | A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe |
| title_full | A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe |
| title_fullStr | A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe |
| title_short | A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe |
| title_sort | gigantic bizarre marine turtle testudines chelonioidea from the middle campanian late cretaceous of south western europe |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22619-w |
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