Turtle research • A study on the body size evolution in turtles is published by Farina
et al. (2023), who interpret their findings as indicating that body size was influenced by lineage-specific specializations, such as habitat choice, rather than global trends. • A study on the topological organization of the turtle skull throughout the evolutionary history of turtles is published by Miller
et al. (2023), who interpret their findings as indicating that turtles have a derived cranial topology which was established early in turtle evolutionary history and subsequently conserved. • Szczygielski & Piechowski (2023) describe the anatomy of the limbs and girdles of
Proterochersis, reporting the presence of a mosaic of characteristics suggesting either terrestrial or aquatic ecology. • A study on the limb bone histology in
Proterochersis porebensis and
Proganochelys quenstedtii, providing evidence of general microstructural patterns typical for extant turtles and of faster growth during early life stages in
P. quenstedtii than in
P. porebensis, is published by Szczygielski
et al. (2023). • New specimen of
Naomichelys speciosa, providing new information on the anatomy and intraspecific variation in this species, is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Cloverly Formation (
Montana, United States) by Lawver & Garner (2023). • Joyce
et al. (2023) describe fossil material of
Helochelydra nopcsai from the Lower Cretaceous strata in
North Rhine-Westphalia (
Germany), extending known geographic range of this species and providing new information on its anatomy. • Tong
et al. (2023) describe a skull of a member of the species
Solemys gaudryi from the Upper Cretaceous (
Campanian) Bastide Neuve locality (Var, France), providing new information on the skull anatomy of
helochelydrid turtles. • Chou
et al. (2023) describe a new specimen of
Chengyuchelys latimarginalis from the Upper Jurassic Shangshaximiao Formation (China), expanding known geographical distribution of this species and providing new information on its intraspecific variation. • The first specimen of
Solnhofia parsonsi preserving largely complete and articulated limbs is described from the
Kimmeridgian Torleite Formation (
Germany) by Augustin
et al. (2023), who interpret this finding as indicating that
S. parsonsi lacked stiffened paddles otherwise present in more
pelagic marine turtles, and argue against interpreting the presence flexible flippers in fossil turtles as evidence for freshwater lifestyle by itself. • Pérez-García, Camilo & Ortega (2023) describe new fossil material of
Hylaeochelys kappa from the
Tithonian Freixial Formation (
Portugal), providing new information on the anatomy and intraspecific variability in this species. • A specimen of
Eodortoka cf. morellana, representing both the oldest occurrence of the family
Dortokidae reported to date and the first record of the group from the
United Kingdom, is described from the Lower Cretaceous
Wessex Formation by Jacobs
et al. (2023). • Cadena
et al. (2023) describe new fossil material of
Chelus lewisi from the Miocene Socorro Formation (Urumaco,
Venezuela) and of
Chelus colombiana from the
La Victoria Formation (Tatacoa,
Colombia), and interpret the anatomy of the studied fossils as supporting the validity of both species. • Martín-Jiménez & Pérez-García (2023) present the reconstruction of the skull and neuroanatomical structures of the holotype of
Euraxemys essweini. • A study on the ecology of
Araripemys barretoi is published by Batista, Carvalho & de la Fuente (2023). • Bogado
et al. (2023) describe new fossil material of
Roxochelys from the Upper Cretaceous
Presidente Prudente Formation (
Brazil), and provide an emended diagnosis for
Roxochelys. • Martín-Jiménez & Pérez-García (2023) provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of the anatomical and neuroanatomical cranial structures of
Neochelys arenarum. • A study on the anatomy of the mandible of
Glyptops ornatus is published by Evers (2023), who interprets
G. ornatus as a likely active aquatic hunter. • Smith, Berg & Adrian (2023) describe a well-preserved skull of a specimen of
Plesiobaena antiqua from the
Judith River Formation (
Montana,
United States), providing new information on the morphology of the middle and inner ear and
endocast of
baenids. • Description of a partial skeleton of
Denazinemys nodosa from the Campanian
Kaiparowits Formation (
Utah, United States) and a study on the phylogenetic affinities of this taxon is published by Spicher
et al. (2023). • Description of the anatomy of the skull and mandible of
Plastomenus thomasii, and a study on the phylogenetic relationships and the evolutionary history of softshell turtles, is published by Evers, Chapelle & Joyce (2023). • Redescription of
Rafetus bohemicus is published by Chroust
et al. (2023). • Cadena & Combita-Romero (2023) describe
protostegid fossil material from the Lower Cretaceous (
Valanginian)
Rosablanca Formation (
Colombia), representing both the earliest protostegid record reported to date and the largest Early Cretaceous protostegid worldwide, providing evidence of early evolution of large size in protostegids. • A study on the long bone microstructure of
Protostega gigas is published by Wilson (2023), who interprets her findings as indicating that
P. gigas, unlike the more
basal protostegid
Desmatochelys, had rapid bone growth patterns similar to those of extant
leatherback sea turtles. • Purported plant fossils from the Lower Cretaceous
Paja Formation (
Colombia), originally described as
Sphenophyllum colombianum, are reinterpreted by Palma-Castro
et al. (2023) as hatchling marine turtles, representing the first finding of hatchlings turtle carapaces from northwestern South America reported to date. • Fossil material of a sea turtle is described from the
Lutetian Santiago Formation, California by Poust, Holroyd & Deméré (2023), providing evidence of the presence of sea turtles in North Pacific during the middle Eocene. • Zvonok, Benitskiy & Danilov (2023) describe new fossil material of
Tasbacka aldabergeni from the Paleogene (Paleocene or Ypresian) Kudinovka locality (
Rostov Oblast,
Russia), including the most complete postcranial skeleton of a member of this species, providing new information on its anatomy. • A carapace of a sea turtle representing the oldest record of the genus
Lepidochelys reported to date is described from the Miocene
Chagres Formation (
Panama) by Cadena, De Gracia & Combita-Romero (2023), who report evidence of exceptional preservation of bone microstructure, including remains of blood vessels, collagen fibers, osteocytes with possible DNA. • A study on the diversification of tortoises throughout their evolutionary history is published by Silveira
et al. (2023). • A study on the bone histology of fossil and extant
angulate tortoises from
South Africa, providing evidence of impact of environmental conditions on the growth of studied tortoises, is published by Bhat,
Chinsamy & Parkington (2023). • Delfino
et al. (2023) describe Late Pleistocene fossils representing the first fossil material of
Testudo hermanni hermanni from
Sicily reported to date. • A study on the relationship of body size to climate and on the role of metabolism in governing size in turtles is published by Parker
et al. (2023), who report that the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of turtles from the
Shungura Formation (
Ethiopia) included tortoises which were significantly larger than any extant African taxon, but aquatic turtles did not reach significantly larger maximum sizes than extant eastern African turtles; the authors find the studied fossil record of turtles to be consistent with habitat reconstructions for the Shungura Formation, interpret it as indicating that temperature-dependent metabolism likely wasn't a dominant factor for body size sorting in turtles from the Shungura Formation, and argue that the extinction of the largest eastern African tortoises may have been driven, in part, by human exploitation. • Revision of the fossil material of Paleogene turtles from Eastern Europe is published by Zvonok & Danilov (2023). == Archosauriformes==