10.1" Inflated, Fossil Tortoise (Testudo) - South Dakota

This is a large and beautiful, 10.1" tortoise (Testudo) from the White River Formation in South Dakota. It is inflated, not highly crushed like many specimens. There are spots of restoration along the left and right middle to posterior end of the carapace (top of shell), with the majority of restoration occurring to multiple costal and marginal scutes along the left posterior shell. Some of the posterior-most scutes fragmented and have been repaired and remounted to the shell. The plastron (underside of shell) is broken and warped in spots as a result of natural geologic processes. A portion of the anterior plastron broke free during the fossilization process and following extraction, has been repaired and remounted back to the specimen. The vast majority of this shell is in excellent condition and overall the shell is quite sturdy.