31 January 2020

"There were giants in the earth in those days..."

Archelon is an extinct marine turtle from the Late Cretaceous, and is the largest turtle ever to have been documented, with the biggest specimen measuring 460 cm (15 ft) from head to tail, 400 cm (13 ft) from flipper to flipper, and 2,200 kg (4,900 lb) in weight. It is known only from the Dakota Pierre Shale and has one species.
The holotype pictured above is in the Yale Peabody Museum.

3 comments:

  1. You probably already know this, but just in case . . . that is a quote from Genesis 6:4. Before Noah's flood, there was a tropical type of climate around the entire globe. People and animals lived for much longer. I believe this accounts for some of the giant fossils and skeletons that are found.

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    Replies
    1. When I was growing up in 1950s Minnesota, Karl Rølvaag's "Giants in the Earth" novel about Norwegian immigrants was mandatory reading.

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    2. I will definitely check out that book.

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