Science, Tech, Math › Animals & Nature Glyptodon Facts and Figures Print Pavel Riha/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0 Animals & Nature Dinosaurs Prehistoric Mammals Basics Paleontologists Carnivores Dinosaurs & Birds Herbivores Marine Reptiles Amphibians Birds Habitat Profiles Mammals Reptiles Insects Marine Life Forestry Evolution View More By Bob Strauss Bob Strauss Science Writer B.S., Cornell University Bob Strauss is a science writer and the author of several books, including "The Big Book of What, How and Why" and "A Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of North America." Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on July 31, 2019 Name: Glyptodon (Greek for "carved tooth"); also known as the Giant Armadillo; pronounced GLIP-toe-don Habitat: Swamps of South America Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (two million-10,000 years ago) Doedicurus: The Giant Prehistoric Armadillo By Bob Strauss Read More Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and one-ton Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Huge, armored dome on the back; squat legs; short head and neck About Glyptodon One of the most distinctive—and comical-looking—megafauna mammals of prehistoric times, Glyptodon was essentially a dinosaur-sized armadillo, with a huge, round, armored carapace, stubby, turtle-like legs, and a blunt head on a short neck. As many commentators have pointed out, this Pleistocene mammal looked a bit like a Volkswagen Beetle, and tucked up under its shell it would have been virtually immune to predation (unless an enterprising meat-eater figured out a way to flip Glyptodon onto its back and dig into its soft belly). The only thing Glyptodon lacked was a clubbed or spiked tail, a feature evolved by its close relative Doedicurus (not to mention the dinosaurs that most resembled it, and which lived tens of millions of years earlier, Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus). Discovered in the early 19th century, the type fossil of Glyptodon was initially mistaken for a specimen of Megatherium, aka the Giant Sloth, until one enterprising naturalist (braving howls of laughter, no doubt) thought to compare the bones with those of a modern armadillo. Once that simple, if bizarre, kinship was established, Glyptodon went by a bewildering variety of vaguely comical names — including Hoplophorus, Pachypus, Schistopleuron, and Chlamydotherium — until the English authority Richard Owen finally bestowed the name that stuck, Greek for "carved tooth." The South American Glyptodon survived well into early historical times, only going extinct about 10,000 years ago, shortly after the last Ice Age, along with most its fellow megafauna mammals from around the world (such as Diprotodon, the Giant Wombat, from Australia, and Castoroides, the Giant Beaver, from North America). This huge, slow-moving armadillo was probably hunted to extinction by early humans, who would have prized it not only for its meat but also for its roomy carapace — there's evidence that the earliest settlers of South America sheltered from the snow and rain under Glyptodon shells! Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Strauss, Bob. "Glyptodon Facts and Figures." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/glyptodon-carved-tooth-1093213. Strauss, Bob. (2021, February 16). Glyptodon Facts and Figures. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/glyptodon-carved-tooth-1093213 Strauss, Bob. "Glyptodon Facts and Figures." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/glyptodon-carved-tooth-1093213 (accessed March 28, 2024). copy citation