Fossils of Placochelys dates back to the Triassic period (age range: 221.5 to 205.6 million years ago).

[2] This genus includes only one species: Placochelys looked remarkably similar to a sea turtle, and grew to about 90 centimetres (3.0 ft) in length.

It had a flat turtle-like carapace covered with knobbly plates, and a compact triangular skull.

The specialized broad teeth on the palate, were most likely used for crushing shellfish and hard-shelled prey.

Its limbs were paddle-shaped for swimming, although, unlike modern sea turtles, they still had discernable toes, and it also had a short tail.