''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 n ...

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 specimen( ...

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

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

within the

Mooreville Chalk Formation The Mooreville Chalk is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi, which were part of the subcontinent of Appalachia. The strata date back to the early Santonian to the early Campanian stage of ...

(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 Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

dermochelyid. As with other basal chelonioids (such as '' Santanachelys'' and '' Toxochelys''), ''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 A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...

with minimally reduced coastal plates. Like the larger ''

Archelon ''Archelon'' is an extinct marine turtle from the Late Cretaceous, and is the largest turtle ever to have been documented, with the biggest specimen measuring from head to tail and in body mass. It is known only from the Dakota Pierre Shal ...

'', ''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

leatherback turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

. 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 interv ...

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, 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 ...

.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 Paleo ...

{{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