Megalochelys


Megalochelys is an extinct genus of cryptodiran tortoise which lived from the Miocene to Pleistocene, across Asia and possibly East Europe. They are noted for their giant size, which is among the largest of any known testudine, with a maximum carapace length of over two metres in M. atlas.
This fossil genus is the original and valid name for what has been called Colossochelys. It contains three named species with several unnamed taxa.
It is widely suspected that the genus went extinct due to the arrival of Homo erectus, due to staggered extinctions on islands coinciding with the arrival of H. erectus in these regions, as well as evidence of exploitation by H. erectus. The genus was largely extinct by the end of the Early Pleistocene, but persisted on Timor into the Middle Pleistocene.