Ocepechelon
| Ocepechelon Temporal range: Maastrichtian ~ | |
|---|---|
| Skull and size comparison of Ocepechelon | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Clade: | Panchelonioidea (?) |
| Family: | †Protostegidae |
| Genus: | †Ocepechelon Bardet et al, 2013 |
| Type species | |
| †Ocepechelon bouyai Bardet et al, 2013 | |
Ocepechelon is an extinct genus of giant protostegid sea turtle known from the Late Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian stage, 67 Myr) of Morocco. The feeding apparatus of Ocepechelon, a bony pipette-like snout, is unique among tetrapods and shares unique convergences with both syngnathid fishes (unique long tubular bony snout ending in a rounded and forward directed mouth) and beaked whales (large size and elongated edentulous jaws).