Overview and pictures of Proganochelys quenstedti (Vitor Silva) by stemturtle, edited by Suspsy
Greater than twenty years in the past, I noticed an exquisite reconstruction of Proganochelys on the American Museum of Pure Historical past in New York Metropolis. Ever since then, I’ve looked for a sensible mannequin of that species for my assortment. Lastly, my want got here true.
Proganochelys quenstedti was sculpted in chilly porcelain by Vitor Silva of Brazil, whose paleoart is featured on DeviantArt. Every sculpture is exclusive, not mass produced. Manufacturing was delayed for a number of years through the pandemic, however this masterpiece was definitely worth the wait. Though Proganochelys is listed at 1:4 scale, I commissioned my mannequin at 1:7. Complete size is about 5.4 inches or 13.8 cm. A dwell specimen would have been about 36 inches or 91 cm.
This stem-turtle has an additional row of scutes on the margins of the carapace to guard the legs. There are spines on the neck and tail. The three distal osteoderms of the tail are fused collectively, serving as a membership. The pinnacle was not retractable into the carapace besides sideways. There’s a beak to reap vegetation. The mouth is open, revealing an absence of tooth on the jaws, however there are denticles on the palate. The colour of the pores and skin is gentle brown with a darkish grey carapace, just like a snapping turtle.
Proganochelys lived about 210 million years in the past within the Late Triassic. Initially thought to have been semi-aquatic, it might have been terrestrial as an alternative, primarily based on its quick arms. Fossils have been present in Germany. One other species, P. rughae, present in Thailand, has been reclassified as Thaichelys rughae. Chinlechelys tenertesta, a cousin of Proganochelys with a really skinny carapace, is from New Mexico.
One of many wonders of evolution is how the turtle was capable of breathe through the enclosure of the shoulder girdle within the inflexible shell. Stomach muscle tissue as an alternative of intercostal muscle tissue turned accountable for air flow. Proganochelys is without doubt one of the first turtles with a whole shell, ten million years after Odontochelys semitestacea. Odontochelys had a plastron, however lacked a tough carapace. See a review of it on this blog.
I like to recommend the gorgeous artwork of Vitor Silva. The fable of the tortoise and the hare teaches us that slowly however absolutely wins the race.
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