6.7" Oligocene Fossil Tortoise (Stylemys) - South Dakota

Oligocene Fossil Tortoise (Stylemys) - South Dakota #269871

This is a 6.7" long, Oligocene aged fossil tortoise (Stylemys nebrascensis) from the White River Formation in the Badlands of South Dakota. It has undergone some crushing and one side is missing. There are several repairs around the periphery of the specimen.

Comes with a display stand to assist with presentation.

Stylemys ("pillar turtle") is the first fossil genus of dry land tortoise discovered in the United States. They lived in temperate to subtropical areas of North America, Europe, and Asia.

These extinct tortoises had primitive jaw muscles, unlike today's tortoises that 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 weren't ideal for burrowing.