Protostega gigas Turtle Skull Replica

Description

Protostega gigas turtle skull replica measures 17.5 x 10.5 x 8.5 inches. The Protostega gigas skull is a museum-quality polyurethane resin cast of a Denver Museum of Nature and Science specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible). 1: scale. Made in USA.

The Protostega turtle is an extinct sea turtle that lived 85 million years ago. Fossil hunters found remains in the Smokey Hill Chalk formation of western Kansas and the Mooreville Chalk formation of Alabama.

Reaching a length of nearly ten feet, it ranks as the second-largest sea turtle to ever live. Protostega relied on a leathery shell.

Widely spaced bones that looked like roof rafters held up this skin layer. While this gave them less protection, the lighter weight and powerful front flippers made turtle a fast swimmer.

Females migrated hundreds of miles to lay eggs on sandy beaches. Moving on land was incredibly hard, since an adult female weighed over a ton. Still, they dragged themselves ashore and laid dozens of eggs at a time.

This safety in numbers strategy helped some young turtles survive. In fact, sea turtles were the only ocean reptiles to survive the great extinction event 65 million years ago.

This giant used a large, pointed head with a sharp beak and powerful jaws to hunt. It easily ate slow-moving sea creatures like jellyfish, shellfish, seaweed, and floating animal carcasses.

They faced dangers of shark attacks. Shark teeth stuck inside Protostega bones at a museum in Chicago show that ancient sharks sometimes ate these giant turtles.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Reptilia
• Order: Testudines
• Suborder: Cryptodira
• Family: †Protostegidae
• Genus: †Protostega
• Binomial name: †Protostega gigas
• Conservation status: Extinct

Roof, the Protostega gigas turtle skull replica, wants to be a firefighter and has just applied for the job. He holds his hopes up high, until the phone is rings with the good news that he got the job.

Snappy, the alligator snapping turtle skull replica, is so happy for Roof, so she is planning a congratulatory get-together for him.

Poppy, the pond turtle skull replica, is bringing her famous Poppy cake with icing to share with everyone.

Alla, the Aldabra giant tortoise skull replica, is intentionally lighting a fire at the party so Roof can show off his new skills. This is going to be a blast of a party.