Pleurosternidae is an extinct family of freshwater turtles belonging to Paracryptodira.[1] They are definitively known from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Western Europe and North America.[2]
Pleurosternids Temporal range:
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Pleurosternon skull | |
Pleurosternon shell | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Pantestudines |
Clade: | Testudinata |
Clade: | †Paracryptodira |
Superfamily: | †Baenoidea |
Family: | †PleurosternidaeCope, 1868
Genera
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Valid taxa edit
Uluops from the Late Jurassic of North America may also belong to Pleurosternidae.[2] Invalid taxa edit
Ecology editThe high morphological diversity of skulls of the group suggests high ecological plasticity. Glyptops and Pleurosternon exhibit adaptions likely for suction feeding, while Dorsteochelys was likely a dietary generalist.[2] References edit
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