Ancient Seas #9
Ancient Seas Archelon Photo from Wikipedia Kingdom: Animalia Class: Reptiia Conservation Status: Extinct (EX) Era: Late Cretaceous WHAT WAS IT? Archelon was a large marine turtle, believed to be the largest ever documented sea turtle. The largest specimen, named Brigitta, was 4.5m (15ft) from head to toe; 4m (13ft) flipper to flipper; and weighed 2,200kg (4,900lbs). Instead of a hard shell, they had a leathery carapace with ridges up to 5cm (2inches) long. Its head was distinct with a narrow and elongated shape, and had horizontal nostrils on the top of its skull which is unusual in comparison to its modern counterparts. WHERE AND WHEN DID IT LIVE? The Late Cretaceous was 66-100 million years ago. During this time period, there was a large inland sea splitting North America into two land masses. This was called the Western Interior Seaway and its where the archelon lived. At its largest, this body of water was 700m (2,500ft) deep, 970km (600 miles) w...