Editing Chelydridae (section)

==Fossil history==
[[File:Chelydropsis murchisoni 01.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Chelydropsis]] murchisoni'' fossil remains (left: juvenile; right: adult)]]

The Chelydridae have a long [[fossil]] history, with [[extinction|extinct]] species reported from North America as well as all over Asia and Europe, far outside their present range. The earliest described chelydrid is ''[[Emarginachelys cretacea]]'', known from well-preserved fossils from the [[Maastrichtian]] stage of the Late [[Cretaceous]] of [[Montana]].<ref name=PB/> Another well-preserved fossil chelydrid is the Late [[Paleocene]] ''[[Protochelydra zangerli]]'' from [[North Dakota]].<ref>Danilov G. and J. F. Parham. (2008). A reassessment of some poorly known turtles from the Middle Jurassic of China, with comments on the antiquity of extant turtles. ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' 28(2):306-318</ref> The [[carapace]] of ''P. zangerli'' is higher-domed than that of the recent ''Chelydra'', a trait conjectured to be associated with the coexistence of large, turtle-eating [[crocodilia]]ns. Another genus, ''Chelydropsis'', contains several well-known [[Eurasia]]n chelydrid [[species]] that existed from the [[Oligocene]] to the [[Pliocene]].<ref>Böhme, M. (2008). Ectothermic vertebrates (Teleostei, Allocaudata, Urodela, Anura, Testudines, Choristodera, Crocodylia, Squamata) from the Upper Oligocene of Oberleichtersbach (Northern Bavaria, Germany). ''Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg'' 260:161-183</ref> In South America, chelydrids (''[[South American snapping turtle|C. acutirostris]]'') only occupy the northwestern corner of the continent, reflecting their recent arrival from Central America as part of the [[Great American Interchange]].