Kayentachelys

Kayentachelys Temporal range: Early Jurassic 196.5–183.0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Testudinata
Genus:	†Kayentachelys Gaffney et al., 1987
Species:	†K. aprix
Binomial name
Kayentachelys aprix Gaffney et al., 1987

Kayentachelys ("Kayenta shell") is an extinct genus of stem-turtle from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of northern Arizona.^[1] Kayentachelys was about 0.5 m (1.6 ft) wide and 0.6 m (2.0 ft) in length. It lived in an environment dominated by streams and dunes.

Classification

Kayentachelys was originally grouped as a primitive cryptodire and part of its own family, Kayentachelyidae. Below is the classification of Kayentachelys within Cryptodira:^[1] However, later analysis showed that it was more likely to be a primitive testudinatan outside the group containing living turtles.^[2]

References