Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A fossil sea turtle (Reptilia, Pan-Cheloniidae) with preserved soft tissues from the Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark

De La Garza, Randolph Glenn LU ; Madsen, Henrik ; Eriksson, Mats E. LU and Lindgren, Johan LU (2021) In Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 41(3).
Abstract

A new hard-shelled sea turtle (Pan-Cheloniidae) with vestigial soft tissues from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) Fur Formation of Denmark is described and illustrated. The fossil (DK 807) comprises a partial, yet fully articulated carapace (estimated original length ∼50 cm) where the individual bones mostly are preserved in three dimensions, together with an intact sacrum, a consecutive series of articulated caudal vertebrae, a complete pelvic girdle, and both hind limbs. Primitive characters in the pelvis and limbs, along with free ribs that contact the posterior peripherals suggest affinity with the extinct pan-cheloniid Eochelone; however, because of the incomplete nature of the fossil, DK 807 is kept in open nomenclature. Associated... (More)

A new hard-shelled sea turtle (Pan-Cheloniidae) with vestigial soft tissues from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) Fur Formation of Denmark is described and illustrated. The fossil (DK 807) comprises a partial, yet fully articulated carapace (estimated original length ∼50 cm) where the individual bones mostly are preserved in three dimensions, together with an intact sacrum, a consecutive series of articulated caudal vertebrae, a complete pelvic girdle, and both hind limbs. Primitive characters in the pelvis and limbs, along with free ribs that contact the posterior peripherals suggest affinity with the extinct pan-cheloniid Eochelone; however, because of the incomplete nature of the fossil, DK 807 is kept in open nomenclature. Associated with the skeletal elements are soft-tissue residues that include remnant epidermal scutes and a nearly complete outline of a rear paddle. The flipper-shaped halo likely represents traces of skin preserved as a dark bedding-parallel film. Its wrinkled and striated surface texture attests to an originally scaleless configuration comparable to the soft integument of living adult dermochelyid (leatherback) turtles, and unlike that of extant cheloniids. Scratches, scars and indentations on the bony carapace likely represent incompletely healed bite marks inflicted by a crocodylian or another large-sized seagoing tetrapod.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
volume
41
issue
3
article number
e1938590
publisher
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
external identifiers
  • scopus:85111798392
ISSN
0272-4634
DOI
10.1080/02724634.2021.1938590
project
Preservation and fossilization of reptile skin and other soft tissue structures in marine and lacustrine environments
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Funding Information: We would like to thank F. Osbæck for taking pictures of DK 807 during the preparation of the fossil. We would also like to express our gratitude to D. Lawver for providing information on turtle anatomy, M. Mostadius for giving us access to testudines housed in the zoological collections at Lund Biological Museum, J.C. Sagebiel for access to pan-cheloniids in the collections at the University of Texas at Austin’s Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, B.E.K. Lindow for information on the Danish pan-cheloniid collection at NHMD, B.P. Schultz and R.L. Sylvestersen for access to the fossil turtle material at FUM, and last but not least, A. Folie and C. Cousin for access to the pan-cheloniid collection at IRSNB. We are also grateful for the assistance from G. Bianco at the 3D Laboratory, Department of Biology, Lund University. The authors are thankful to editor T. Lyson for the handling of the manuscript, and reviewers E. Cadena, E. Vlachos, and S. Evers for their constructive comments that greatly improved the quality of this paper. Financial support was provided through a Grant for Distinguished Young Researchers to J.L. (Swedish Research Council, award No. 642-2014-3773). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Randolph Glenn De La Garza, Henrik Madsen, Mats E. Eriksson, and Johan Lindgren. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
id
9e0941eb-dc80-4c4a-8090-7c76b19edf89
date added to LUP
2021-09-27 16:59:52
date last changed
2022-04-27 04:15:48
@article{9e0941eb-dc80-4c4a-8090-7c76b19edf89,
  abstract     = {{<p>A new hard-shelled sea turtle (Pan-Cheloniidae) with vestigial soft tissues from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) Fur Formation of Denmark is described and illustrated. The fossil (DK 807) comprises a partial, yet fully articulated carapace (estimated original length ∼50 cm) where the individual bones mostly are preserved in three dimensions, together with an intact sacrum, a consecutive series of articulated caudal vertebrae, a complete pelvic girdle, and both hind limbs. Primitive characters in the pelvis and limbs, along with free ribs that contact the posterior peripherals suggest affinity with the extinct pan-cheloniid Eochelone; however, because of the incomplete nature of the fossil, DK 807 is kept in open nomenclature. Associated with the skeletal elements are soft-tissue residues that include remnant epidermal scutes and a nearly complete outline of a rear paddle. The flipper-shaped halo likely represents traces of skin preserved as a dark bedding-parallel film. Its wrinkled and striated surface texture attests to an originally scaleless configuration comparable to the soft integument of living adult dermochelyid (leatherback) turtles, and unlike that of extant cheloniids. Scratches, scars and indentations on the bony carapace likely represent incompletely healed bite marks inflicted by a crocodylian or another large-sized seagoing tetrapod.</p>}},
  author       = {{De La Garza, Randolph Glenn and Madsen, Henrik and Eriksson, Mats E. and Lindgren, Johan}},
  issn         = {{0272-4634}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{Society of Vertebrate Paleontology}},
  series       = {{Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology}},
  title        = {{A fossil sea turtle (Reptilia, Pan-Cheloniidae) with preserved soft tissues from the Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1938590}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/02724634.2021.1938590}},
  volume       = {{41}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}