Rhinochelys is an extinct genus of sea turtles belonging to the family Protostegidae.
Rhinochelys Temporal range:
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Fossil of Rhinochelys nammourensis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | †Protostegidae |
Genus: | †Rhinochelys Seeley, 1869 |
Species | |
See text
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Fossils of Rhinochelys have been found in Late Albian to middle Cenomanian-age marine deposits of southern England, Lebanon, and France.[1][2]
Three species of Rhinochelys are recognized:[1][3]
Rhinochelys cantabrigiensis and R. elegans, both named by Richard Lydekker in 1889, are recovered by Scavezzoni and Fischer (2018) as closer to Desmatochelys than to Rhinochelys and possibly are not congeneric with Rhinochelys.[1]