OWEN, RICHARD. - THE EXTINCT HORNED TURTLE.

On Parts of the Skeleton of Meiolania platyceps (Ow.). Received March 29, - Read April 21, 1887.

(London, Harrison and Sons, 1889). 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions", 1888, Vol. 179 - Series B. Pp. 181-191 a. 7 lithographed plates.


First appearance of a classical paper in which Owen describes a series of remains, in better condition, than the bones from Lord Howe's Island, which Owen described in 1886 and named Meiolania platyceps. The remains belongs to Horned Turtles, and not to a giant lizard,

Meiolania ("Small roamer") is an extinct genus of cryptodire turtle from the Oligocene to Holocene, with the last relic populations at New Caledonia which survived until 2,000 years ago.

The animal was rather large, measuring 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length, making it the second-largest known nonmarine turtle or tortoise, surpassed only by Colossochelys atlas from Asia, which lived in the Pleistocene. It lived in Australia and New Caledonia. Remains have also been found on the island of Efate in Vanuatu, associated with settlements from the Lapita culture.

Order-nr.: 42702


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