Peltephilus

Peltephilus
Temporal range: Oligocene-Mid Miocene (Deseadan-Mayoan)
~29.0–11.6 Ma
artist's reconstruction
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Xenarthra
Order: Cingulata
Family: Chlamyphoridae
Genus: Peltephilus
Ameghino, 1887
Type species
P. ferox
Species
  • P. depressus
  • P. ferox
  • P. giganteus
  • P. granosus
  • P. protervus
  • P. pumilus
  • P. strepens
  • P. undulatus

Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct genus of dog-sized, armadillo xenarthran mammals which first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, and became extinct in the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns protecting its eyes. Aside from the horned gophers of North America, it is the only known fossorial horned mammal.[1]

Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore because of its large, triangular-shaped teeth, Vizcaino and Farina argued in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore.[2]

Distribution

Fossils of Peltephilus have been found in:[3]

Oligocene
Deseadan
Miocene

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. pp. 208–209. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  2. ↑ Vizcaino, S. F., & R. A. Farina (1997), Diet and locomotion of the armadillo Peltephilus: a new view. Lethaia, 30, 79-86.
  3. ↑ Peltephilus at Fossilworks.org


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.