Ocepechelon

O-cep-e-kel-on.
Published on

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

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Ocepechelon.

Phonetic

O-cep-e-kel-on.

Named By

N.‭ ‬Bardet,‭ ‬N.-E.‭ ‬Jalil,‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Lapparent Broin,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Germain,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Lambert‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬Amaghzaz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Testudines,‭ ‬Cryptodira,‭ ‬Dermochelyoidae,‭ ‬Dermochelyidae.

Diet

Uncertain.

Species

O.‭ ‬bouyai

Size

Holotype skull‭ ‬70‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Morocco.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       Ocepechelon is a fascinating genus of sea turtle for two reasons.‭ ‬First,‭ ‬with a skull that was seventy centimetres long,‭ ‬Ocepechelon must have been huge,‭ ‬but unfortunately without a shell and/or post cranial skeleton we don’t know how big.‭ ‬Second,‭ ‬the mouth of Ocepechelon is formed into a pipette-like feature which suggests that Ocepechelon may have been a suction feeder or some kind.‭ ‬We don’t yet know what Ocepechelon was eating,‭ ‬but living relatives such as Dermochelys,‭ ‬better known as the leatherback turtle,‭ ‬are known to eat jellyfish.‭ ‬Perhaps Ocepechelon was swimming into swarms of small soft bodied jellyfish,‭ ‬sucking them up as it casually swam by.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A Giant Chelonioid Turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco with a Suction Feeding Apparatus Unique among Tetrapods.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLoS One‭ ‬8‭(‬7‭)‬:e63586.‭ ‬-‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Bardet,‭ ‬N.-E.‭ ‬Jalil,‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Lapparent Broin,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Germain,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Lambert‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬Amaghzaz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

Adopt A Species
prehistoric-wildlife new logo

Love this species?

Adopt it today!

(UPDATED!)

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Isotelus