Peltephilus
| Peltephilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Interpretation of P. ferox | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | †Peltephilidae |
| Genus: | †Peltephilus Ameghino 1887 |
| Type species | |
| †Peltephilus ferox Ameghino 1887
| |
| Species | |
| |
Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct
epoch, and became extinct in the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns. Aside from the horned gophers of North America, it is the only known fossorial horned mammal.[1] P. ferox had skull about 11.7 centimetres (4.6 in),[2] and estimated body mass is around 11.07 kilograms (24.4 lb).[3]
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.[4]
Taxonomy
The genus was originally classified as belonging to the family Chlamyphoridae, but in 2007 was placed in its own family Peltephilidae by Darin A. Croft, John J. Flynn and Andre Wyss.[5]
Distribution
Fossils of Peltephilus have been found in:[6]
- Miocene
- Santa Cruz Formation[8]
- Bolivia – Colloncuran Nazareno Formation
- Chile – Santacrucian Chucal Formation[5]
References
Prehistoric mammals portal
- ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ISSN 0079-032X.
- ISBN 978-0-521-19461-7, retrieved 2023-05-22
- ^ Vizcaino, S. F., & R. A. Farina (1997), Diet and locomotion of the armadillo Peltephilus: a new view. Lethaia, 30, 79-86.
- ^ a b Croft et al., 2007
- ^ Peltephilus at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Shockey, 2017
- ^ González Ruiz et al., 2013, p. 323
Bibliography
- S2CID 85892530. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- González Ruiz, Laureano Raúl; Góis, Flavio; Ciancio, Martín Ricardo; Scillato Yané, Gustavo Juan (2013). "Los Peltephilidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) de la Formación Collón Curá (Colloncurense, Mioceno Medio), Argentina" (PDF). . Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- Shockey, Bruce J (2017). "New early diverging cingulate (Xenarthra: Peltephilidae) from the Late Oligocene of Bolivia and considerations regarding the origin of crown Xenarthra". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 58 (2): 371–396. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
