Axestemys

Ax-e-stem-iss.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Axestemys.

Phonetic

Ax-e-stem-iss.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Testudines,‭ ‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Trionychidae,‭ ‬Trionychinae.

Diet

Carnivore/Omnivore‭?

Species

A.‭ ‬byssina

Size

Size varies considerably between‭ ‬species.‭ ‬One of the largest individuals belongs to A.‭ ‬byssina and has a body length of at least two meters.

Known locations

Belgium.‭ ‬Canada.‭ ‬France.‭ ‬UK.‭ ‬USA.

Time Period

Late Cretaceous to Eocene,‭ ‬possibly later.

Fossil representation

Numerous individuals of varying levels of completeness.

In Depth

       Axestemys is a genus of soft shelled turtle that lived from the Late Cretaceous to at‭ ‬least the Eocene,‭ ‬and is known from both North America and Europe.‭ ‬Instead of a hard shell,‭ ‬Axestemys would have had a tough leathery skin surrounding its body.‭ ‬Modern day soft shelled turtles can be omnivorous,‭ ‬meaning they eat both plants and animals,‭ ‬though many‭ ‬species are exclusive carnivores.‭ ‬Prey animals of soft shelled turtles include fish,‭ ‬molluscs,‭ ‬amphibians,‭ ‬crustaceous,‭ ‬virtually any small aquatic organism that they can catch.‭ ‬It is thus inferred that Axestemys had a similar predatory behaviour.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Descriptions of some new Vertebrata from the Bridger Group of the Eocene.‭ ‬Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society‭ ‬12:460-465.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Cope‭ ‬-‭ ‬1871. -‭ ‬A new turtle from the Paleocene of Colorado.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fieldiana Geology‭ ‬10:1-4.‭ ‬-‭ ‬K.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Schmidt‭ ‬-‭ ‬1945. -‭ ‬Giant fossil soft-shelled turtles of North America.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Palaeontologia Electronica.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Natasha S.‭ ‬Vitek‭ ‬-‭ ‬2012. – A new species of trionychid turtle, Axestemys infernalis sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek and Lance formations of the Northern Great Plains, USA. – Palaeontologia Electronica. 33 (3): 1–28. – Walter G. Joyce, Donald B. Brinkman & Tyler R. Lyson – 2019.

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