FOSSIL TURTLE SHELL. ...

Description

FOSSIL TURTLE SHELL
Stylemys nebrascensis
Oligocene
White River Formation, Crawford, northwest Nebraska
The S. nebrascensis was a dry-land tortoise, abundant on the water-rich Oligocene plains of today's South Dakota badlands between 34 and 24 million years ago. At this time the Earth's climate was cooling and the environment of this area was changing from closed subtropical forests to more open savannah-like habitats. These turtles were first collected and described in 1851 by Dr Joseph Leidy. Although comparatively common, most examples are found in many pieces ( known among collectors as an exploded specimen) and nigh-on impossible to piece back together. Few are found in such pristine and complete condition as the present example, comprising the large and well-preserved carapace (upper shell), intact and fully inflated along with the lower shell, or plastron, also intact and well-preserved. This first-rate specimen has minimal restoration and measures 14½ x 11½ x 5¼ inches.

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