Peltephilus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Extinct (fossil)
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
Peltephilus was a species of giant armadillo which inhabited Argentina during the Miocene era; 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.
Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore, Vizcaino and Farina demonstrated in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore.
[edit] References
- Vizcaino, S. F., & R. A. Farina (1997), Diet and locomotion of the armadillo Peltephilus: a new view. Lethaia, 30, 79-86.
 |
This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
