biology

Mesodermochelys

Mesodermochelys is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mesodermochelys rather than just read about it. In short: Mesodermochelys is an extinct genus of sea turtle known from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of what today is Japan and from the Maastrichtian of Chile. One species is known, the type species M. undulatus; it was given its binomial name by Ren Hirayama and Tsutomu Chitoku in 1996.

Key takeaways

Mesodermochelys belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mesodermochelys to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mesodermochelys from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mesodermochelys is an extinct genus of sea turtle known from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of what today is Japan and from the Maastrichtian of Chile. One species is known, the type species M. undulatus; it was given its binomial name by Ren Hirayama and Tsutomu Chitoku in 1996. Studies of its skull indicate that it was a primitive member of the Dermochelyidae (leatherback turtle family) that was closely related to the Protostegidae. It has been described as the best representative of Mesozoic dermochelyids.

Description Like other dermochelyids, Mesodermochelys had elongated front flippers. One fossil found in Japan's Kagawa Prefecture had a carapace estimated to be 1.3 m (4.3 ft) in length, and specimen from Hokkaido had carapace up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft). Largest specimen is estimated to have shell around 2 m (6.6 ft), possibly comparable with Archelon. Only the neural or spinal scutes, or individual plates, of the carapace are well grooved.

Specimens The holotype specimen of Mesodermochelys undulatus Hobetsu Museum (HMG) 5 was collected in 1980 from the Maastrichtian Hakobuchi Formation (Yezo Group) in Inasato, Hobetsu, Hokkaido, Japan. It comprises a supraoccipital and partial postcranial skeleton and was reported in 1996 along with 14 referred specimens collected between 1977 and 1994 and also reposited at HMG. In October 2005, Yoshiyuki Hattori uncovered a skull presumed to be Mesodermochelys, from an unnamed Santonian-aged interval of the Yezo Group in Hokkaido. The skull is very well preserved but is missing most of the dermal roof bones through weathering. It was donated to the defunct Historical Museum of Hokkaido, which has since been integrated into and replaced by the Hokkaido Museum.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mesodermochelys

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mesodermochelys claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mesodermochelys before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mesodermochelys ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mesodermochelys

In research: Mesodermochelys appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mesodermochelys in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mesodermochelys is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Campanian genus first appearances, Cretaceous animals of Asia, Dermochelyidae, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mesodermochelys outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mesodermochelys in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mesodermochelys means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mesodermochelys out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mesodermochelys in simple terms?

Why does Mesodermochelys matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mesodermochelys?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mesodermochelys.