Corsochelys is an extinct genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of sea turtle

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...

 that lived in the Late Cretaceous

Late Cretaceous

The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...

 (Campanian

Campanian

The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...

). Zangerl (1960) named the type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 (and currently only species; C. haliniches), based upon remains found in Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 within the Mooreville Chalk Formation

Mooreville Chalk Formation

The Mooreville Chalk Formation is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi. The strata date back to the early Santonian to the early Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. The chalk was formed by pelagic sediments deposited along the eastern edge...

 (the lower part of the Selma Group).

Description

Corsochelys is a basal

Basal (phylogenetics)

In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...

 dermochelyid

Dermochelyidae

Dermochelyidae is a family of turtles which has eight extinct and one extant genera.-Classification of known genera:*Subfamily Desmatochelyinae** Corochelys ** Desmatochelys *Subfamily Allopleuroninae ** Allopleuron ** Eosphargis...

. As with other basal chelonioids (such as Santanachelys

Santanachelys

Santanachelys gaffneyi is the earliest known sea turtle. It is the only species in the genus Santanachelys, which itself is a member of the extinct family Protostegidae. The species was first described from a 20-centimeter long fossil specimen unearthed in 1998 in Eastern Brazil...

and Toxochelys

Toxochelys

Toxochelys is an extinct genus of sea turtle from the Cretaceous period. It is the most commonly found fossilized turtle species in the Smoky Hill Chalk, in western Kansas. Toxochelys was about 2 m in length...

), Corsochelys possesses a large foramen interorbitale with a narrow processus inferior parietalis, which indicates that the genus possessed developed, salt-excreting lachrymal glands. In addition to its similarly to these genera, Corsochelys retains a carapace

Carapace

A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...

 with minimally reduced coastal plates. Like the larger Archelon

Archelon

Archelon is a genus of extinct sea turtle, the largest that has ever been documented.-Discovery:...

, Corsochelys had channels penetrating the subphyseal plate from bone into the cartilage above, much like the living leatherback turtle. This means that Corsochelys would have reached their large size quickly through fast skeletal growth, as with the leatherback.

Recently, a dermochelyid that closely resembles Corsochelys was found in the Maastrichtian

Maastrichtian

The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...

 deposits of the Ouled Abdoun phosphate basin, Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

.

Suggested further reading

• The Biology of Sea Turtles by Peter L. Lutz and John A. Musick
• Biology of Turtles by Jeanette Wyneken, Matthew H. Godfrey, and Vincent Bels

External links

• Corsochelys in the Paleobiology Database
  Paleobiology Database
  ' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...