Sahonachelys

Sa-ho-nah-chel-iss.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Sahonachelys ‭(‬frog turtle‭)‬.

Phonetic

Sa-ho-nah-chel-iss.

Named By

Walter G.‭ ‬Joyce,‭ ‬Yann Rollot,‭ ‬Serjoscha W.‭ ‬Evers,‭ ‬Tyler R.‭ ‬Lyson,‭ ‬Lydia J.‭ ‬Rahantarisoa‭ & ‬David W.‭ ‬Krause‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Testudines,‭ ‬Pleurodira,‭ ‬Sahonachelyidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

S.‭ ‬mailakavava‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬6.5‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Shell about‭ ‬26‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Madagascar‭ ‬-‭ ‬Maevarano Formation.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull,‭ ‬shell and post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Sahonachelys is a genus of side-necked turtle that lived in Madagascar during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬The name Sahonachelys‭ ‬means‭ ‘‬frog turtle‭’‬,‭ ‬a reference to the frog-like appearance of the face.‭ ‬Sahonachelys is thought to have been a specialised suction feeder.‭ ‬This is evidenced by upper and lower jaw surfaces that face each other,‭ ‬a lack of teeth and an enlarged hyoid bone that would allow for wider mouth opening and swallowing.‭ ‬How the suction feeding would work is that the mouth would open very wide,‭ ‬and extremely quickly,‭ ‬resulting in a pressure vacuum within the mouth.‭ ‬If a Sahonachelys did this while a small fish was swimming nearby,‭ ‬that fish would be sucked into its mouth and swallowed whole.

Further reading

-‭ ‬A new pelomedusoid turtle,‭ ‬Sahonachelys mailakavava,‭ ‬from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar provides evidence for convergent evolution of specialized suction feeding among pleurodires.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Royal Society Open Science.‭ ‬8‭ (‬5‭)‬:‭ ‬Article ID‭ ‬210098.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Walter G.‭ ‬Joyce,‭ ‬Yann Rollot,‭ ‬Serjoscha W.‭ ‬Evers,‭ ‬Tyler R.‭ ‬Lyson,‭ ‬Lydia J.‭ ‬Rahantarisoa‭ & ‬David W.‭ ‬Krause‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

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