Turtle - Fossilised animal - Manchurochelys - 23 cm - 20 cm

Geological Age: Early Cretaceous (approximately 125 million years ago)

Location: Western Liaoning, Northeast China
Jehol Biota
Jiufotang Formation or Yixian Formation

The specimen in the photograph exhibits the following characteristics:

Oval-shaped, relatively flat carapace, consistent with early terrestrial/semi-aquatic turtles;
Clearly preserved limb skeletons, with short and stout forelimbs and hindlimbs;
A relatively long tail, significantly exceeding the proportions of modern turtles, a common feature of some Mesozoic turtles;
A relatively small head with a noticeably extended neck;
The faintly visible shell borders indicate highly ossified shell.

Ecological Reconstruction

This Jehol turtle lived in an Early Cretaceous lacustrine-river environment, coexisting with feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and a large number of fish.