Axestemys
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Subfamily: Trionychinae
Genus: Axestemys
Type Species: Axestemys byssina meaning "Axe Turtle."
Described by Edward Drinker Cope, and Genus described by Oliver Perry Hay.
Species:
-Axestemys byssina, (Cope, 1872)
-Axestemys cerevisia, Vitek, 2012
-Axestemys montinsana, Vitek, 2012
-Axestemys quinni, (Schmidt, 1945)
-Axestemys splendida, (Hay, 1908)
-Axestemys vittata, (Pomel, 1847)
-Axestemys infernalis (Joyce, Brinkman & Lyson, 2019)
Synonyms:
-Axestus, Cope, 1872
-Conchochelys, Hay, 1905
-Eurycephalochelys, Moody & Walker, 1970
-Paleotrionyx, Schmidt, 1945
Current Park Population: (10; all adults; 5 male, 5 female)
Park Diet: Floating turtle pellets, thawed Fish, gut-loaded crickets (crickets fed nutritious foods that then pass to your pet), lettuce, worms, pinky mice, small amphibians, such as frogs, algae, duckweed, romaine lettuce, cantaloupe, banana, kale, mango, and strawberries.
Natural Diet: aquatic plants, invertebrates, and perhaps small fish.
Lifespan: 100 years
Habitat: swamps, floodplains, ponds, creeks, rivers, and streams.
Native Ecosystem: North America, Laramadia, Hell Creek Formation, Europe, Asia. Late Cretaceous, Campanian-Bridgerian, Eocene.
Breeding Season: April-July
Gestation Period: Three-Six Weeks.
Eggs Laid: 30-60 eggs
Hatching Time: August-September
Danger Level: 2 out of 10.
Summary: Turtles are another common reptile during the age of the dinosaurs appearing during the Late Jurassic. Axestemys, is a species of giant turtle closely related to the modern Florida and Yangtze Softshells. They are aquatic carnivores, inhabiting the many freshwater systems of Europe and North America like the Hell Creek Formation.
Description:
Axestemys splendida
Adults are dark yellowish green with bronze yellow stripes on the shell, black stripes and spots on the feet and head, and a pale underbelly.
Hatchlings are covered with black spots over their bodies.
Axestemys, like its modern relatives, had no scutes on its carapace, which probably had leathery, pliable skin at the sides. Despite living several million years ago, Axestemys would have looked very similar to its modern relatives, with a long neck, a sharp beak, and three toes on each foot.
Size: All species of Axestemys grew to a large size, especially A. byssina, which could reach a total length of 1.5-2 meters (59-79 in) or more, being larger than any modern-day species of softshell turtle.
Diet: Based on the diet of modern softshell turtles, it was an omnivore, eating water plants, invertebrates, and perhaps small fish.
Interactions with other species: Axestemys is the largest known turtle in the Hell Creek Formation, although they are often ignored by the large herbivores and they must not get stepped on by them.
Palaeobatrachus would have been potential prey to Axestemys.
Axestemys could prey on hatchlings of dinosaurs like Ornithomimus, Thescelosaurus, Anzu, Pectindon, Acheroraptor, Trierarchuncus, birds like Brodavis, and crocodilian and choristodere hatchlings like Borealosuchus, Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, and Brachychampsa.
Axestemys could prey on Didelphodon, but they can fight back and a group of them would overwhelm and kill an Axestemys with their strong sharp teeth.
Hatchlings are vulnerable to Pectindon, Acheroraptor, and Juvenile Tyrannosaurus.
Predators of both hatchlings and adults Axestemys include Quetzalcoatlus, Thescelosaurus, Anzu, Borealosuchus, Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, and Brachychampsa whose jaws can pierce through their shells.
Extinction: Axestemys managed to survive the K-PG Mass Extinction Event. This is due to their slow metabolisms and aquatic lifestyle. Since their bodily processes were slow, needing very little energy, they could survive on sparse resources during and after the wipeout of dinosaurs.
Danger Tip: They are normally shy when approached, when being carried it requires a team of people to lift this turtle, and other than their sharp beaks and forelimbs claws to watch out for, it's best to wash your hands after handling turtles and most animals because they could carry diseases, parasites, and viruses that can be could be spread.
Significant Events: On the third day of the first mission, a bask of Axestemys was encountered alongside floats of crocodilians and choristoderes, Brachychampsa, Borealosuchus, Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, Palaeobatrachus, and another turtle species, Basilemys. The Axestemys swim towards Filburt who steps up the portal to be transported to the park. They now reside in the Hell Creek Forest Building.
Hell Creek Forest Building Riverside habitat: This exhibit is meant to replicate the Cretaceous Riverside which is also a walk-through aviary. There is a riverbank for the turtles to bask and a large pool for the turtles to swim filled with aquatic plants and a small glass underwater viewing panel. Axestemys shares its habitat with Basilemys and Brodavis.
Notable Individuals:
Axel: a Male Axestemys, forms a bond with Lana Loud.
Conclusion: Axestemys represents how turtles lived alongside the dinosaurs and how they survived the mass extinction. For you, Turtle lovers, Axestemys is a must-see in Prehistoric Park.
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