Taphonomic study of a pleurosternid turtle shell from the Early Cretaceous of Angeac-Charente, southwest France

The feeding behaviour of crocodilians leads to the formation of particular assemblages by accumulation of carcasses on the bottom or at the edge of water points, in addition to the characteristic marks it leaves on bones, making crocodilians important taphonomic agents. We report here the case of a Pleurosternidae turtle shell, Pleurosternon bullockii (Owen ), discovered in 2014 in Angeac-Charente in south-western France. The shell shows a range of tooth marks left by a crocodyliform. Several elements designate Goniopholis as the most likely author of the marks and support the use of the ‘nutcracker’ technique. Some marks appear to have healed, while others suggest that this P. bullockii individual suffered from shell diseases. Many turtle remains and some ornithomimosaur dinosaur bones from Angeac-Charente bear marks of a crocodyliform attack.