Stylemys nebracens Oligocene Skull

Oligocene Turtle. Sscientific name Stylemys nebracensis.

* Skull size 3.4 inch (7 cm)
* Cast in durable polyurethane resins.
*Iincludes shell and skull
* Museum quality replica
* Made in USA

Stylemys was a dry land tortoise found in the Oreodont beds (Middle Oligocene) of the White River badlands of South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. They are also quite common in the late Eocene and early Oligocene White River badlands of eastern Wyoming. Stylemys was first described in 1851 by Dr. Joseph Leidy. It is the earliest discovered fossil turtle in America. This specimen is one of the few ever found with a skull. It is also one of the largest of this genus. These turtles lived 30-50 million years ago. The tortoise was common in the prehistoric Badlands, especially Nebraska and South Dakota. The species has also been found in the formations in and around Badlands National Park. The ancient tortoises had primitive jaw muscles, unlike today’s tortoises, which 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 were unsuitable for burrowing, setting them apart from modern genera. White River Formation, Nebraska. Skull w/post-cranial extremely rare.