The Giant Sea Turtle
Archelon was an enormous sea turtle that lived about 70-65 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs.
| Meaning | Ruler turtle [Arch-elon] |
| Pronunciation | AR-kay-lon |
| When: | Late Cretaceous (about 80–66 million years ago) |
| Where: | North America (USA, South Dakota) |
| What: | Turtle (giant marine reptile) |
| Weight: | Estimated around 2.2 metric tons |
| Length: | Approximately 4.5 meters (15 feet) |
| Diet: | Omnivorous (ate jellyfish, crustaceans, and other marine life) |
| Discovered: | First described by George Reber Wieland in 1896 |
It had a shell up to 15 feet long and powerful flippers for swimming.
Archelon mainly ate sea plants and algae. It lived in the shallow seas covering North America and came ashore to lay eggs.
Like many marine reptiles, Archelon went extinct around 65 million years ago, possibly due to changes in climate.