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{
    "pk": 41633,
    "title": "A fossil giant tortoise from the Mehrten Formation of Northern California",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "Hesperotestudo \nis a genus of giant tortoise that existed from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene of North and Central America. Recorded occurrences in the United States are plentiful; however, California seems to be an exception. Literature on \nHesperotestudo \nin California is limited to faunal lists in papers, with few detailed descriptions. Here we review the literature on the genus, describe and identify specimens found in the upper Mehrten Formation (late Miocene-early Pliocene) exposed in the Central Valley of California at Turlock and Modesto Reservoirs, Stanislaus County, and address their implications for early Pliocene California biogeography and climate. All fossils described are from the collections of the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP). The largest specimen from the Mehrten is a peripheral from an animal with an estimated carapace length over one meter. The specimens were compared first to modern material of \nGopherus\n, the only other tortoise genus from the late Miocene-early Pliocene of California, and then to measurements from the literature of the three species of \nHesperotestudo \nto which it could most likely be referred:\n H. osborniana, H. orthopygia, and H. campester. \nBased on characteristics and measurements of the carapace and plastron, these specimens are assigned to \nH. orthopygia. Hesperotestudo orthopygia \nis\n \na species known primarily from the Great Plains region, so its presence in California during the late Miocene-early Pliocene indicates that it expanded west into California at this time. Large tortoises are not very tolerant of frost conditions, possibly indicating a relatively frost free climate for this area at the time. This agrees with previous estimates of annual temperature records based on plant fossils from the upper Mehrten Formation, in particular the presence of \nPersea, \nan avocado relative, which is also frost sensitive.",
    "language": "en",
    "license": null,
    "keywords": [
        {
            "word": "Tortoise, Hesperotestudo, orthopygia, California, Miocene, Pliocene, Mehrten"
        }
    ],
    "section": "Article",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vf0k82q",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Jacob",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Biewer",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "California State University Stanislaus",
            "department": "None"
        },
        {
            "first_name": "Julia",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Sankey",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "California State University Stanislaus",
            "department": "None"
        },
        {
            "first_name": "Howard",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Hutchison",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "University of California Museum of Paleontology",
            "department": "None"
        },
        {
            "first_name": "Dennis",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Garber",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": "None"
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": "2016-03-09T09:31:37+05:30",
    "date_accepted": "2016-03-09T09:31:37+05:30",
    "date_published": "2016-03-08T13:30:00+05:30",
    "render_galley": null,
    "galleys": [
        {
            "label": "",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/ucmp_paleobios/article/41633/galley/31163/download/"
        }
    ]
}