{"product_id":"tortoise-fossil-specimen-nebraska-usa","title":"Tortoise - Fossil Specimen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocality\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: White River Group, Nebraska, U.S.A.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e:\u003cspan\u003e Late Eocene–Early Oligocene\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeological Age\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: about 37–30 million years ago\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e: Fossil land tortoises are among the most familiar fossils of the White River Badlands of Nebraska and South Dakota. The most common one is Stylemys nebrascensis. Joseph Leidy named it in 1851 from a partial shell collected in the Badlands in 1850, which is still kept at the Smithsonian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThese tortoises lived as the climate cooled at the end of the Eocene and into the Oligocene, roughly 37 to 30 million years ago, when forests were giving way to open, savannah-like country. Like modern tortoises they had no teeth, and they likely ate low shrubs, grasses and other plants. Shells typically run 25 to 30 cm long, and some reach about 60 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe best-preserved shells come from the \"oreodont beds\" of the Brule Formation. Some paleontologists think several species may be lumped under the one name, with flatter shells suggesting burrowers like today's gopher tortoise. Shells are common, but shells with the skull or a full skeleton inside are rare. Collecting is illegal on protected lands such as Scotts Bluff National Monument, where rangers ask visitors to report finds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis piece is a section of domed shell showing the plate-like scute pattern.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn crystal traditions, tortoise fossils are associated with endurance and steady change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize of 1 piece\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: 19cm x 15cm x 10cm \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight of 1 piece\u003c\/strong\u003e: 2.9kg\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuantity\u003c\/strong\u003e: 1pc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWith this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph. We do what we can to buy good quality products and price them honestly. The rocks may differ from the photos, but we hope we do them justice.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nebraska, U.S.A.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42787004580010,"sku":"TORTOISESHELL01","price":1100.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/7158\/3658\/products\/Eocene-Turtle-Shell-1-Nebraska_3.jpg?v=1649182169","url":"https:\/\/rubblerockandgem.com\/fr\/products\/tortoise-fossil-specimen-nebraska-usa","provider":"Rubble Rock And Gem","version":"1.0","type":"link"}