This giant turtle, with its 5.5 foot-long shell, lived at the same time as other giant reptiles such as the Titanoboa.

The skull remains suggest that the Carbonemys' jaw was strong enough to bite through armored crocodiles, but the fossil record is inconclusive.

The Carbonemys name means "coal turtle" because the first fossil was discovered in a coal mine in Colombia.

The ridge on the upper shell suggests that Carbonemys' neck was too long to retract fully, so it tucked its head to the side.