One of the most distinctive--not to mention comical-looking--prehistoric animals that ever lived, Glyptodon was a dinosaur-sized armadillo that sported a huge, round, armored carapace, stubby, turtle-like legs, and a blunt head perched on a short neck. As many paleontologists have pointed out, Glyptodon looked a bit like a Volkswagen Beetle, and when tucked up under its enormous shell it would have been virtually immune to predation (unless an enterprising predator figured out a way to flip it onto its back and dig into its soft belly). The only thing this prehistoric armadillo lacked was a clubbed, spiked tail, a feature evolved by its close relative Doedicurus.
Read more about prehistoric mammals like Glyptodon: The Giant Mammals of the Cenozoic Era
Illustration of Glyptodon: Pavel Riha
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