The Archelon

This summer, when I'm in Crete, I will be working Archelon, the sea turtle portection society of Greece. The organisation has taken it's name from the largest known turtle species to have lived, Archelon. Archelon means Ruler turtle, and this turtle has more or less ruled on the sea where it lived.

A specimen of the Archelon from the Yale Peabody museum, Yale University

Most fossiles of the archelon is found in the South-Dakota and Wyoming states in the USA. In the time it lived this was part of an occean. This occean coverd most parts of the Mid-USA. The Archelon lived for 65-75 million years ago. The largest of these animals found was a specimen found in South Dakota and it was more than 4 meters long and even longer from one flipper to the other.

Very often when I think of amazing animals like the Archelon I would like to be able to travel back in time. Going back to the geological period of Cretacous to see the Archelon roam free in the sea would be wonderful. All I can do now is to dream myself and see myself swim along the Archelon.