Archelon is an extinct genus of giant sea turtles that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70-80 million years ago. The skull of Archelon is relatively small compared to the size of its body, which could reach up to 4.5 meters in length.

The Archelon skull is flattened and elongated, with a beak-like structure at the front for grasping and tearing food. The skull also has large eye sockets and nostrils located at the top, which suggest that Archelon spent most of its time swimming near the surface of the water, where it could breathe and see better.

Skull of the paratype for Archelon ischyros, a giant sea turtle that swam the waters covering North America during the Late Cretaceous. Collected by George R. Wieland during an expedition in South Dakota, USA in the mid 1890s.

Scanned by Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Digital Imaging Specialist Chelsea Alene Graham and Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Museum Assistant Christina Lutz using Artec Space Spider in 2017. Processed by Graham using Artec Studio Professional, MeshLab and Meshmixer.