RARE: Giant Turtle Shell Fossil – Large Section, Cretaceous, Australia

Description

This listing offers a rare and substantial fossil section of a giant turtle shell, dating to the Cretaceous Period, and originating from Australia. This is a large carapace (shell) fragment, representing a prehistoric marine or freshwater turtle that lived during the age of the dinosaurs.

Fossil Type:

• Specimen: Turtle Shell Fossil (Carapace Section)
• Likely from a large cryptodiran turtle based on structural and regional indicators

Geological Context:

• Period: Cretaceous
• Estimated Age: ~100–66 million years ago (exact stage unspecified due to locality constraints)
• Depositional Environment: Likely fluvial or marginal marine settings; turtles during this time inhabited both freshwater rivers and coastal marine lagoons
• Preservation: Mineral replacement of original shell bone; stable and consolidated, with visible scute impressions or bone texture in many specimens

Morphological Features:

• Broad, gently curved shell fragment from the carapace (top of the shell)
• Possible preserved sutures between scutes (the bony plates of the shell)
• Textured surface consistent with dermal ossifications of large Cretaceous turtles
• Dense, heavy fossilised bone with natural weathering and coloration

Scientific Importance:

• Turtle fossils from the Cretaceous of Australia are rare and often fragmentary, making this large, intact section particularly desirable for collectors or research reference
• Contributes to the understanding of turtle diversity in Gondwanan continents during the Mesozoic era
• May be associated with genera such as Notochelone, Bouliachelys, or other large extinct marine cryptodires depending on region

Locality Information:

• Australia – Specific site undisclosed, but Cretaceous turtle remains are known from deposits in Queensland and New South Wales, especially in areas formerly covered by inland seas and floodplains

Authenticity & Display:

All of our fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens and are supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity. The photographs in the listing show the actual fossil specimen you will receive. Please refer to the image for full sizing, with the scale cube = 1cm.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine, large fragment of a Cretaceous turtle shell from Australia. Perfect for fossil collectors, vertebrate palaeontology enthusiasts, or natural history displays.

Add a striking and scientifically valuable fossil to your collection—an authentic relic of the ancient Cretaceous ecosystems of prehistoric Australia.