Archelon (English spelling)

Japanese: アルケロン（英語表記）Archelon

A genus of reptiles in the order Cheloniidae that lived in the seas of North America during the Late Cretaceous Period. It is famous for its enormous size, measuring 4 m in length and 3.7 m in width, and its fossil skeleton at Yale University's Peabody Museum is well known. Its skull is very similar to that of modern sea turtles, narrow and with a long, curved, hooked mouth. The upper surface of the turtle's carapace is not a solid block, but is supported by nine pairs of ribs, and the holes between the ribs are covered with a tough leather-like material, so that despite its large size, the body as a whole was relatively light and it is thought to have been a good swimmer. Its forelimbs were longer than its hind limbs, making them efficient webbed feet. The hind limbs were rounded and wide. Its tail was long and strong. It was one of the species that could retract its neck and limbs into its carapace, like modern turtles.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

白亜紀後期の北アメリカの海に生息していた爬虫類カメ目の一属。体長 4m，体幅 3.7mという巨大な大きさのゆえに著名で，エール大学のピーボディ博物館にある骨格化石がよく知られている。頭骨は現生のウミガメとそっくりで，幅が狭く，長く曲った鉤状の口がある。カメの甲の上面は固い塊とはなっておらず，9対の肋骨で支持され，肋骨間の孔は，強靭な革のようなものでおおわれ，そのため巨体にもかかわらず体全体は比較的軽量で，泳ぐのも上手であったと考えられている。前肢のほうが後肢よりも長く，効率的な水かきをなしていた。後肢は丸くて幅が広い。尾は長くて強い。現生のカメと同様に，首や手足を甲内に縮めることができた種類の一つである。

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