GnathostomataPleurosternidaeCM 4312

Glyptops ornatus

Glyptops ornatus skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, length 47 cm.
Scale bar = 10 centimeters
Taxon
Glyptops ornatus Marsh, 1890
Specimen
CM 4312
Reconstructed length
47 cm (19 inches)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2010, revised 2026
Clade
  1. Gnathostomata
  2. Tetrapoda
  3. Amniota
  4. Sauropsida
  5. Testudinata
  6. Pleurosternidae

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A freshwater turtle from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, Glyptops shared its environment with giant stegosaurs, diplodocids and allosaurs. Glyptops had a low, oval shell with a finely sculptured surface; it belonged to an early branch of pond-dwelling turtles.