Chinlechelys

Chinlechelys Temporal range: Late Triassic, 210–208 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Pantestudines
Clade:	Testudinata
Genus:	†Chinlechelys Joyce et al., 2009
Type species
Chinlechelys tenertesta Joyce et al., 2009

Chinlechelys (/tʃɪnəltʃɛliːs/^[stress?] meaning Chinle turtle) is an extinct genus of stem-turtle belonging to Testudinata. It lived in the Norian age of the Late Triassic and is the oldest turtle known from North America. Among turtles it is unique, mostly because of its very thin shell. The type and only species, C. tenertesta, was named and described with the genus by Walter G. Joyce et al. in 2009. It was probably terrestrial, and was found by Joyce et al. to be closely related to Proganochelys, another terrestrial testudinatan.