Titanochelon is an extinct genus of giant tortoises known from the Early Miocene to the beginning of the Pleistocene in Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia, as well as possibly North Africa. Some members of the genus were larger than extant , with a shell length of up to .
Taxonomy
There are approximately 10 known species in the genus, most of which were originally assigned to
Testudo (a genus which formally encompassed almost all fossil tortoises) or
Cheirogaster, the type species of which,
Cheirogaster maurini is known from the
Eocene of France and is quite different to the species assigned to
Titanochelon. After a major systematic revision in 2014, the genus
Titanochelon was created to house these related species.
[Hans Volker Karl, Ulrich Staesche, Amtyaz Safi New findings of neogene tortoises Titanochelon kayadibiensis sp. nov. and Protestudo bessarabica (Riabinin, 1918) (Testudinidae) from the Miocene of western Turkey, with a review of fossil turtles of Turkey SPC Journal of Environmental Sciences, 3 (1) (2021) 1-9]
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Titanochelon bolivari (Hernandez-Pacheco, 1917) (type) Iberian Peninsula, Miocene
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Titanochelon bacharidisi (Vlachos et al., 2014) Greece, Bulgaria, Late Miocene
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Titanochelon perpiniana (Deperet 1885) France, Pliocene
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Titanochelon schafferi (Szalai, 1931) Samos, Greece, Miocene
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Titanochelon vitodurana (Biedermann 1862) Switzerland, Early Miocene
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Titanochelon kayadibiensis Karl, Staesche & Safi, 2021, Anatolia, Miocene
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Titanochelon eurysternum (Gervais, 1848–1852) France, Miocene
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Titanochelon ginsburgi (de Broin, 1977 ) France, Miocene
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Titanochelon leberonensis (Depéret, 1890) France, Miocene
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Titanochelon schleichi Pappa, Vlachos & Moser, 2023 , Germany, Miocene (Burdigalian/Langhian boundary)
The giant tortoise species "Testudo" gymnesica Bate, 1914 from the Lower Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene of the Balearic Islands was formerly suggested to be possibly attributable to this genus, but the taxon displays notable differences from the species assigned to Titanochelon.
In 2025, " Testudo" punica Arambourg, 1979 from the Early Pliocene of Ichkeul, Tunisia was suggested to be closely related and possibly belonging to Titanochelon, and was tentatively assigned to the genus as " Titanochelon" punicum.
Evolutionary history
Phylogenetics have recovered
Titanochelon as most closely related to
Stigmochelys (the
leopard tortoise), which is native to Africa, suggesting the genus has an African origin.
Fossils have been recovered from across Europe beginning in the Early Miocene from Portugal,
Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic,
[Březina J., Luján A.H., Calábková G. and Ivanov M. (2019): Revize historického nálezu obří želvy z Brněnskych Písků (Stredni Miocén, Spodní Baden). Acta. Mus. Moraviae, Sci. geol. CIII 1:113-128; Brno; Revision .] Greece,
Bulgaria, and Anatolia.
The youngest known definitive remains of the genus are known from the Early Pleistocene Fonelas P-1 site of Granada in southern Spain, dating to around 2.0 million years ago. Their extinction was likely related to climatic cooling due to the onset of glaciation at the beginning of the Pleistocene.
