FOSSIL TORTOISE / TURTLE - EOCENE ERA. ~ *                

STYLEMYS NEBRASA  

 IT IS ALL NATURAL WITH NO RESTORATION. IT IS FULLY INFLATED AND EXHIBITS VERY ACCUTE DETAIL OF THE SCUTES.  Be sure to enlarge the pictures for a complete description. 
*****THIS SPECIMEN IS VERY DENSE AND HEAVY FOR IT'S SIZE - ~20 Lbs !!!

BOTH THE CARAPACE (TOP) AND THE PLASTRON (BOTTOM) ARE EXQUISITE, AS ARE THE THE SCUTES WHICH SURROUND THE SHELL.
Eon: Phanerozoic Era: Cenozoic Period: Paleogene Epoch: Eocene - Early Oligocene
MEASURES APPROX. :10 1/2" L. x 9"W. x 4 1/2" T.
Eocene - Oligocene, White River Badlands, Brule Formatio

                            Stylemys (meaning "pillar turtle") is the first fossil genus of dry land tortoise belonging to the order Testudines discovered in the United States. The genus lived in temperate to subtropical areas of North America, Europe, and Asia, based on fossil distribution.    The genus was first described in 1851 by Joseph Leidy.   
 The tortoise was common in the prehistoric Badlands, especially Nebraska and South Dakota. The species has also been found in the formations in and around Badlands National Park. Fossil fragments have also been found in the Palm Park Formation of New Mexico.   The ancient tortoises had primitive jaw muscles, unlike today's tortoises, which also display the os transiliens bone, and would have been herbivorous. While Stylemys species did exhibit the same neck structure as modern tortoises, the forelimbs were unsuitable for burrowing, setting them apart from modern generations.