Aspidochelone

Origin and tradition

Medieval bestiaries describe Aspidochelone as a giant turtle or whale whose back appears to be an island.

Illustration in this atlas

An enormous turtlelike creature carries an apparent island on its back. This plate selects the turtle form; whale-like versions of the deceptive island creature also occur in bestiary traditions.

References and further reading

1. en.wikipedia.org — Aspidochelone

These references offer further reading. Accounts and depictions vary; the atlas illustration is interpretive artwork, rather than historical or scientific evidence.