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50 Million Year Old Eocene Fossil Giant Turtle Specimen in Stone, from Wyoming

50 Million Year Old Eocene Fossil Giant Turtle Specimen in Stone, from Wyoming

This giant turtle Axestemys byssinus is among the best we have ever prepared. The massive specimen measures 4’- 4-3/4” in length (head to tail) with the skull measuring 11-3/4” long. The framed mural measures 73” tall x 55” wide x 2-1/2” deep. The impressive specimen is a wall mounted, sculptural presentation and an important piece of natural history.

 

This turtle is exceptional in both fossil preservation and completeness. Soft-shell turtles belong to a specialized family of turtles called the Trionychidae - a unique group of turtles which lack the hard keratinized shell common to other kinds of turtles. The carapace (upper shell) and plastron (lower shell) of soft shell turtles are covered in soft, leathery skin which is flexible around the edges. Fossil turtles from the Green River Formation are extremely rare. We estimate that less than 25 complete Axestemys byssinus have ever been found; they are among the most sought after of all fossils due to their size, beauty and rarity. Discovered in the upper layers of the Green River formation of southwestern Wyoming, the exquisite composition features all of the limbs and a beautifully articulated shell.

 

The turtle fossil is attached to a wood structural armature designed to support its nearly 300-lb weight. It has a two-part Alder wood French cleat for easy hanging, and is framed in a 3/4” thick handmade Wenge wood frame.

 

DETAILS -Mural size: 73" H x 55" W x 3.13" D -Total weight: 287 lbs

Fossil content: (1) Axestemys byssinus (turtle: measuring 4' and 4.75" from head to tail, skull measures 11.75")

 

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