Talk:Stupendemys

Largest turtle issues
I have a slight issue with the line about Stupendemys being the largest turtle ever, and the explicit statement that it was larger than Archelon. This statement is based upon estimated total lengths of over 3.3m, however - Archelon has total estimated lengths of over 4m. The reduced shell of Archelon would make it's mass much less than expected for a turtle of its size, so Stupendemys, with its solid shell, may well have had the greater mass. If mass is the reason why Stupendemys is stated as being the largest, this must be stated as such, as the current statement based upon length doesn't make sense. Regardless, Stupendemys could be stated as the largest Pleurodire known.

With regards to the statement that the Arrau turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world, this is also inaccurate given that the giant soft-shells of the genus Pelochelys get bigger. The Arrau could be stated as the largest living Pleurodire. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Salsatron (talk • contribs) 13:24, 9 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Also, they aren't nearly as massive as alligator snapping turtles. The Arrau might have a higher shell length, but it seems very strange to say "Largest freshwater turtle in the world" without qualifying it by pointing out there's a species that regularly weighs twice as much. 72.227.98.109 (talk) 14:46, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

The size figure for Stupendemys is not "estimated total length", it is the straight-line measurement of a carapace. Straight Carapace Length (SCL) is the most common way to compare turtle size and this is the largest figure ever published. However, one Archelon specimen had a snout-to-tail length of 16 feet (~4.9 meters), and for whatever reason, there are no known measurements of SCL. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.103.229.199 (talk) 17:27, 30 June 2013 (UTC)