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Glyptodon Fossil Collection

Glyptodon, a genus of extinct giant mammals related to modern armadillos and found as fossils in deposits in North and South America dating from the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (5.3 million to 11,700 years ago). Glyptodon and its close relatives, the glyptodonts, were encased from head to tail in thick, protective armor resembling in shape the shell of a turtle but composed of bony plates much like the covering of an armadillo. The body shell alone was as long as 1.5 meters (5 feet). The tail, also clad in armor, could serve as a lethal club; indeed, in some relatives of Glyptodon, the tip of the tail was a knob of bone that was sometimes spiked. Glyptodonts ate almost anything—plants, carrion, or insects.

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Dinosaur Footprints for Sale: What Ancient Tracks Really Reveal

Dinosaur Footprints for Sale: What Ancient Tracks Really Reveal

Team Fossil Age Minerals
Fossilized Coral and Ancient Sea Creatures:  Stories Preserved in Stone

Fossilized Coral and Ancient Sea Creatures: Stories Preserved in Stone

Team Fossil Age Minerals
Moroccan Fossils for Sale: Trilobites, Teeth, and Ancient Discoveries

Moroccan Fossils for Sale: Trilobites, Teeth, and Ancient Discoveries

Team Fossil Age Minerals

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