Alienochelys: Research Database
Cheloniidae (Cryptodira) · Late Cretaceous (~70–66 MYA) · Africa — Morocco (Phosphate Basin)
Research Note: Alienochelys was a cheloniid sea turtle from the Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits of Morocco. As one of the few known Cretaceous cheloniids from Africa, it provides important data on marine turtle diversity and biogeography in the Late Cretaceous of the Tethys Ocean.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
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Tong & Buffetaut 1996: Alienochelys and cheloniid diversity in the Cretaceous of Morocco
Tong & Buffetaut 1996 describe Alienochelys from the Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits of Morocco, establishing it as a cheloniid sea turtle and documenting its significance for understanding marine turtle diversity in the Late Cretaceous of North Africa and the Tethys region
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Confirmed | A | 1996 | Fossil | Tong & Buffetaut, Neues Jahrbuch Geologie Paläontologie | Taxonomy |
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Lehmann & Herbig 2009: New data on marine turtles from the Cretaceous of Morocco
Lehmann & Herbig 2009 provide additional anatomical and systematic data on marine turtles from the Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, including new information that contextualises Alienochelys within the broader evolutionary history of cheloniid sea turtles
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Confirmed | B | 2009 | Fossil | Lehmann & Herbig, Palaeontographica | Systematics |
Active Debate: Marine Turtle Biogeography and the Cretaceous Tethys Ocean Ecosystem
Whether Alienochelys represents a distinct endemic North African lineage of cheloniids or was part of a broader Tethyan fauna with transoceanic distributions is debated. The Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits of Morocco have yielded a diverse marine fauna including mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and sea turtles, raising questions about how these marine reptiles partitioned the Tethys ecosystem. Some researchers argue that the Morocco phosphate turtles represent an endemic radiation distinct from coeval European and American forms, while others suggest the Tethys seaway permitted significant faunal exchange.
The phylogenetic position of Alienochelys within Cheloniidae is also debated, with some studies placing it as a basal cheloniid and others suggesting it may be more closely related to modern loggerhead or green sea turtles. The fragmentary nature of the type specimen complicates these attempts at phylogenetic placement.
What We Still Do Not Know About Alienochelys
- Complete shell morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Skull morphology: Incomplete.
- Body size: Estimated from fragmentary remains.
- Forelimb adaptation: Unknown; likely similar to modern sea turtles.
In Depth
Alienochelys is a genus or turtle that lived during the late Cretaceous.
Further Reading
- A strange new chelonioid turtle from the latest Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco. - Comptes Rendus Palevol 13(2):87-95. - F. de Lapparent de Broin, N. Bardet, M. Amaghzaz & S. Meslouh - 2014.
