A new genus, Bairdemys, is erected for two species of side-necked turtles. Bairdemys venezuelensis (Wood and Díaz de Gamero, 1971) from the late Miocene Urumaco Formation of Venezuela is represented by four skulls and a number of shells. Bairdemys hartsteini from the Miocene of Puerto Rico is known from a skull. Bairdemys is a member of the Podocnemididae because it possesses a cavum pterygoideus, and is related to the Shweboemys Group because it has a well-developed secondary palate. It differs from all other Podocnemididae in having large ventral convexities on the secondary palate, the eustachian tube separated by bone from the fenestra postotica, and the frontal and prefrontal strongly convex dorsally.