Paracryptodira

Paracryptodira is an extinct group of reptiles in the clade Testudinata, known from the Jurassic to Paleogene of North America and Europe. Initially treated as a suborder sister to Cryptodira, they were then thought to be a very primitive lineage inside the Cryptodira according to the most common use of the latter taxon. They are now often regarded as late-diverging stem-turtles, lying outside the clade formed by Cryptodira and Pleurodira. Paracryptodires are divided into three main groups, Compsemydidae, known from the Late Jurassic to Paleocene of North America and Europe, Pleurosternidae, known from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of North America and Europe, and Baenidae, known from the Early Cretaceous to Eocene of North America. The latter two groups are more closely related to each other than to Compsemys, forming the clade Baenoidea.

Paracryptodira

Claire Houck from New York City, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Sits inside
TestudinataPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Diapsida

Time the record covers

At least 119 million years on record.

The record covers at least 165.3 Mya to 45.9 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 168.2 Mya to 37.71 Mya.

Middle Jurassic — about 3 of 934 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 88 of 934 occurrencesLate JurassicEarly Cretaceous — about 70 of 934 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 588 of 934 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 114 of 934 occurrencesEocene — about 71 of 934 occurrencesEocene171–166 Mya — about 2 occurrences166–162 Mya — about 1 occurrence157–153 Mya — about 9 occurrences153–148 Mya — about 32 occurrences148–144 Mya — about 43 occurrences144–139 Mya — about 21 occurrences139–135 Mya — about 13 occurrences135–130 Mya — about 2 occurrences130–126 Mya — about 2 occurrences126–121 Mya — about 8 occurrences121–117 Mya — about 8 occurrences117–112 Mya — about 9 occurrences112–107 Mya — about 5 occurrences107–103 Mya — about 4 occurrences103–98 Mya — about 4 occurrences98–94 Mya — about 3 occurrences94–89 Mya — about 1 occurrence89–85 Mya — about 4 occurrences85–80 Mya — about 89 occurrences80–76 Mya — about 118 occurrences76–71 Mya — about 135 occurrences71–67 Mya — about 202 occurrences67–62 Mya — about 123 occurrences62–58 Mya — about 19 occurrences58–53 Mya — about 11 occurrences53–49 Mya — about 15 occurrences49–44 Mya — about 25 occurrences44–40 Mya — about 26 occurrences40–35 Mya — about 0.6 occurrences165.3 Mya45.9 Mya171 Mya35 Mya

934 occurrences of Paracryptodira on record, most of them in the Late Cretaceous. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

934 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

90 formations

Hell Creek — 47.80°N, 106.10°WHell Creek — 47.68°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 46.03°N, 103.77°WHell Creek — 46.21°N, 103.77°WHell Creek — 46.38°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 45.95°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 46.41°N, 103.94°WHell Creek — 46.10°N, 103.30°WHell Creek — 46.46°N, 104.02°WHell Creek — 46.33°N, 103.90°WHell Creek — 45.94°N, 103.95°WHell Creek — 45.53°N, 101.63°WHell Creek — 47.88°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.13°WHell Creek — 47.62°N, 107.32°WHell Creek — 45.85°N, 104.83°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.98°WHell Creek — 47.57°N, 107.10°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.40°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.25°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 107.18°WHell Creek — 47.07°N, 106.92°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.27°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.23°WHell Creek — 46.90°N, 101.50°WHell Creek — 46.09°N, 100.63°WHell Creek — 47.61°N, 106.90°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.00°WHell Creek — 46.33°N, 104.01°WHell Creek — 48.01°N, 106.45°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.45°WHell Creek — 47.09°N, 104.70°WHell Creek — 46.70°N, 100.25°WHell Creek — 46.41°N, 103.50°WHell Creek — 45.89°N, 104.55°WHell Creek — 45.59°N, 103.50°WHell Creek — 45.87°N, 103.79°WHell Creek — 45.00°N, 103.19°WKirtland — 36.27°N, 108.17°WKirtland — 36.34°N, 108.08°WKirtland — 36.10°N, 108.09°WKirtland — 36.50°N, 108.08°WKirtland — 36.22°N, 107.90°WKirtland — 36.33°N, 108.03°WKirtland — 36.36°N, 108.57°WKirtland — 36.20°N, 108.10°WKirtland — 36.17°N, 107.80°WKirtland — 36.29°N, 108.54°WKirtland — 36.10°N, 107.79°WKirtland — 36.51°N, 108.32°WMorrison — 40.42°N, 109.21°WMorrison — 41.91°N, 105.96°WMorrison — 38.54°N, 105.22°WMorrison — 41.88°N, 106.11°WMorrison — 41.88°N, 105.89°WMorrison — 41.99°N, 106.08°WMorrison — 38.58°N, 108.40°WMorrison — 40.53°N, 109.39°WMorrison — 44.18°N, 103.34°WMorrison — 40.44°N, 109.30°WMorrison — 39.17°N, 108.77°WMorrison — 41.95°N, 106.31°WMorrison — 42.16°N, 105.91°WMorrison — 42.04°N, 106.39°WMorrison — 40.50°N, 109.17°WMorrison — 44.02°N, 104.24°WMorrison — 39.32°N, 110.69°WMorrison — 35.20°N, 107.13°WMorrison — 42.02°N, 106.05°WMorrison — 44.46°N, 104.73°WMorrison — 39.15°N, 108.77°WMorrison — 39.01°N, 111.02°WMorrison — 44.25°N, 104.41°WMorrison — 36.92°N, 102.98°WMorrison — 40.30°N, 108.57°WDenver — 39.70°N, 104.70°WDenver — 38.80°N, 104.80°WDenver — 39.91°N, 105.15°WDenver — 39.95°N, 105.23°WDenver — 39.70°N, 105.20°WDenver — 39.75°N, 105.22°WDenver — 38.86°N, 104.61°WDenver — 39.30°N, 104.30°WDenver — 39.63°N, 104.33°WDenver — 39.50°N, 104.70°WDenver — 38.91°N, 104.53°WLance — 43.30°N, 104.37°WLance — 43.12°N, 104.64°WLance — 41.57°N, 108.67°WLance — 43.18°N, 104.53°WLance — 43.15°N, 104.57°WLance — 43.13°N, 104.49°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.52°WLance — 43.00°N, 104.50°WLance — 43.44°N, 104.41°WLance — 43.33°N, 104.60°WLance — 43.20°N, 104.66°WLance — 45.39°N, 103.70°WLance — 45.60°N, 103.63°WKaiparowits — 37.47°N, 111.70°WKaiparowits — 37.42°N, 111.79°WKaiparowits — 37.75°N, 111.61°WKaiparowits — 37.58°N, 111.94°WKaiparowits — 37.62°N, 111.80°WKaiparowits — 37.46°N, 111.34°WKaiparowits — 37.30°N, 112.43°WKaiparowits — 37.84°N, 111.28°WKaiparowits — 37.82°N, 111.40°WKaiparowits — 37.45°N, 111.53°WUinta — 40.20°N, 109.90°WUinta — 40.07°N, 109.28°WUinta — 40.36°N, 109.67°WUinta — 40.37°N, 109.64°WUinta — 40.04°N, 109.28°WUinta — 39.97°N, 109.13°WUinta — 40.06°N, 109.62°WDinosaur Park — 49.12°N, 110.47°WDinosaur Park — 50.82°N, 111.57°WDinosaur Park — 50.74°N, 111.48°WDinosaur Park — 50.77°N, 111.51°WDinosaur Park — 50.75°N, 111.40°WDinosaur Park — 50.78°N, 111.33°WDinosaur Park — 49.30°N, 110.60°WDinosaur Park — 50.56°N, 111.46°WDinosaur Park — 50.68°N, 108.09°WFerris — 41.94°N, 106.88°WFerris — 41.80°N, 107.00°WFerris — 41.96°N, 106.89°WOldman — 50.75°N, 111.51°WOldman — 49.10°N, 110.94°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.84°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.68°WOldman — 49.16°N, 110.72°WOldman — 49.30°N, 110.60°WOldman — 50.80°N, 111.62°WOldman — 50.72°N, 111.53°WFruitland — 36.49°N, 108.49°WFruitland — 36.27°N, 108.26°WFruitland — 36.26°N, 108.19°WFruitland — 36.60°N, 108.57°WFruitland — 36.27°N, 107.85°WFruitland — 36.11°N, 107.87°WFruitland — 36.12°N, 107.78°WFruitland — 36.29°N, 108.55°WBridger — 42.37°N, 108.91°WBridger — 41.28°N, 110.23°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.50°WBridger — 41.32°N, 110.38°WBridger — 41.70°N, 109.00°WBridger — 41.04°N, 110.23°WBridger — 41.28°N, 110.03°WBridger — 41.85°N, 109.78°WBridger — 41.80°N, 110.70°WAguja — 29.32°N, 103.52°WAguja — 29.20°N, 103.55°WAguja — 29.28°N, 103.56°WFort Union — 43.85°N, 108.35°WFort Union — 44.30°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 46.05°N, 104.48°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.38°WFort Union — 45.80°N, 104.40°WFort Union — 46.43°N, 103.93°WFort Union — 44.88°N, 108.75°WFort Union — 41.30°N, 107.74°WFort Union — 45.22°N, 109.50°WFort Union — 39.20°N, 108.20°WFort Union — 46.33°N, 104.01°WFort Union — 47.60°N, 107.00°WFort Union — 47.70°N, 105.80°WJudith River — 46.47°N, 109.30°WJudith River — 46.46°N, 109.41°WJudith River — 47.81°N, 109.59°WJudith River — 48.93°N, 110.57°WJudith River — 46.10°N, 109.10°WJudith River — 47.88°N, 110.36°WJudith River — 45.82°N, 111.63°WJudith River — 46.35°N, 109.22°WJudith River — 46.42°N, 109.27°WJudith River — 47.87°N, 107.26°WCloverly — 43.22°N, 107.57°WCloverly — 44.69°N, 108.24°WCloverly — 44.65°N, 107.88°WCloverly — 44.51°N, 107.90°WCloverly — 44.50°N, 107.82°WCloverly — 44.44°N, 109.06°WCloverly — 45.19°N, 108.80°WCloverly — 45.33°N, 108.81°WNacimiento — 36.33°N, 108.00°WNacimiento — 36.20°N, 107.78°WNacimiento — 36.23°N, 107.71°WNacimiento — 36.73°N, 108.22°WNacimiento — 35.70°N, 107.00°WNacimiento — 36.07°N, 107.97°WNacimiento — 36.36°N, 108.02°WNacimiento — 36.11°N, 107.86°WMenefee — 35.70°N, 107.20°WMenefee — 35.32°N, 106.94°WMenefee — 36.80°N, 108.41°WNorth Horn — 39.10°N, 111.80°WNorth Horn — 39.18°N, 111.27°WNorth Horn — 39.00°N, 111.00°WKirtland? — 36.29°N, 108.54°WKirtland? — 36.27°N, 108.17°WLaramie — 40.39°N, 104.49°WLaramie — 40.95°N, 104.92°WLaramie — 40.91°N, 104.76°WLaramie — 39.73°N, 105.05°WLaramie — 39.50°N, 104.70°WFrenchman — 49.04°N, 106.60°WFrenchman — 49.40°N, 107.40°WFrenchman — 49.00°N, 110.55°WFrenchman — 49.05°N, 106.57°WWahweap — 37.59°N, 112.90°WWahweap — 37.63°N, 112.12°WWahweap — 37.60°N, 111.90°WWahweap — 37.20°N, 111.61°WAguja — 28.94°N, 103.37°WAguja — 28.92°N, 103.34°WAguja — 28.99°N, 103.31°WAguja — 28.98°N, 103.38°W

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The named rock units Paracryptodira has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 66 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 43 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Paracryptodira and its relatives

Late Cretaceous

Where Paracryptodira and its relatives were recorded in the Late Cretaceous.

Found in the same rock

1,485 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records 672 sites for Paracryptodira, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

228 references

Each of the 934 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 216 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content1

Picture of Paracryptodira

Credit
Claire Houck from New York City, USA
Licence
CC BY-SA 2.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

No 3D scan of Paracryptodira was found in Sketchfab.

Smithsonian Open Access and MorphoSource were not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itTestudinata through timeFormations of the Late CretaceousThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Gaffney 1975