GnathostomataTrionychidae

Axestemys infernalis

Axestemys infernalis skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, length ~1.4 m.
Scale bar = 25 centimeters
Taxon
Axestemys infernalis Joyce et al., 2019
Reconstructed length
~1.4 m (4.5 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2010, revised 2026
Clade
  1. Gnathostomata
  2. Tetrapoda
  3. Amniota
  4. Sauropsida
  5. Testudinata
  6. Cryptodira
  7. Trionychidae

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A large softshell turtle from the latest Cretaceous of the northern Great Plains, among the last turtles of the Hell Creek world. Axestemys carried a broad, flattened leathery shell and could exceed half a meter in length.

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