In the 1960’s this type of fossil turtle shell was identified to Dr. Hiatt as from a Trionyx turtle, which is a soft shell turtle. There were only 2 distinctive types of turtle shell fragments identified at the time Trionyx and Compsemys. Trionyx has the more distinctive and deeper indentation shell pattern. Currently Dr. Eugene Gaffney, Curator Emeritus of the Paleontology Department, American Museum of Natural History in New York City, describes a common Late Cretaceous Turtle as from the family Baenidae. Baenid turtle shell is fused and does not have sutures.
