Meiolania

Meiolania Temporal range: Oligocene to Holocene
Meiolania platyceps fossil
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Meiolaniidae
Genus:	Meiolania
Species
M. brevicollis M. platyceps M. mackeyi

Meiolania ("Small killer") is an extinct genus of cryptodire turtle from the Oligocene period to Holocene period, with the last relic populations at Lord Howe Island of New Caledonia which survived until 2000 years ago. It was huge, measuring 2.5 m (8 ft 4 inches) in length. It lived in Australia and New Caledonia and fed on plants. Its surviving relatives are the cryptodire turtles of South America.

Meiolania had an unusually shaped skull- it sported many knobbly or horn-like protrusions. Two horns faced sideways, giving the skull a total width of 60 cm (2 ft). The tail was protected by armored 'rings' and sported thorn-like spikes at the end. With its head overall length, Meiolania is very impressive based on its size alone. There is more to Meiolania than just size, however: two large bony horns jut out from its head, and its tail is covered with spikes. The spikes are something of a tradeoff - while they might discourage some predators, they also prevent Meiolania from drawing its head in under the protection of its massive shell as modern turtles do.

When the first fossil remains (a vertebra) was first found, and studied, it was originally thought to be a lizard, namely, a large monitor lizard smaller than the Megalania (Megalania prisca, now also known as Varanus priscus), and thus, was named accordingly. Later, when more remains were found, it was realized that the "small killer" was actually a turtle, and not a lizard. Some synonyms of include "Miolania," and "Ceratochelys."

External links

• Meiolania platyceps Owen (The Australian Museum; photo)
• Mikko's Phylogeny Archive on Cryptodira