Huge, 18.5" Fossil Tortoise (Stylemys) - Wyoming

This is a large, 18.5" fossil tortoise (Stylemys nebrascensis) from the Brule Formation in Wyoming. It is inflated and quite large, though there is some crushing in some areas.

Around the edges the shell is fragmented so some of the rock it was found in has been left between the shell fragments. There are repaired cracks though the ventral shell where it broke during collection and some of the costal scutes have been repaired and remounted back to the shell. Around these remounted scutes, gap fill restoration was required to ensure their stability. Some of the marginal scutes are missing along the edges, with some having been remounted back to the specimen.

The shell measures 18.5 x 14 x 6.5" and weighs 58.5 lbs.