Extinct glyptodonts really were gigantic armadillos, ancient DNA shows
Monday, February 22, 2016 - 12:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
If you could travel back in time to South America thousands of years ago, you might have caught a glimpse of an animal known as a glyptodont living alongside giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats. Glyptodonts looked like gigantic and fearsome armadillos; one of the largest species, Doedicurus, weighed as much as a ton and had a powerful club-shaped and spiky tail.