1.7" Glyptodon Fossil Osteoderm Scute Plate Bony Armor Pleistocene Uruguay COA
Location: Uruguay
Weight: 0.4 Ounces
Dimension: 1.7 Inches Long, 1.5 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick
Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
This is a real Fossil.
Glyptodon was a genus of giant, now-extinct mammals closely related to modern armadillos. Fossils of these remarkable creatures have been found across North and South America, dating from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene epochs, roughly 5.3 million to 11,700 years ago. Glyptodon and its relatives, known as glyptodonts, were completely encased in thick, protective armor that resembled a turtle’s shell but was made of bony plates similar to an armadillo’s covering. The body shell alone could reach lengths of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet). Its tail, also armored, could function as a powerful club, and in some species, the tail ended in a bony knob or even spikes. Glyptodonts were versatile feeders, consuming plants, carrion, and occasionally insects.
If you look closely at Glyptodon pictures, then you might mistake this animal for some kind of science experiment that combined a turtle, a beaver, and an armadillo. However, this megafauna mammal was neither related to a turtle nor a beaver. It is a distant relative of the armadillo, though.
One fascinating fact about Glyptodon is its impressive size—it was roughly the same size and weight as a Volkswagen Beetle. Measuring about 10 feet long and weighing around a ton, this peculiar-looking mammal had short, sturdy legs and a massive armored dome covering its back. This protective shell made it nearly impervious to predators, except if one could manage to flip it over, exposing its vulnerable soft underbelly.
Glyptodon disappeared around 10,000 years ago, near the end of the last Ice Age. Paleontologists believe that climate change played a role in its extinction, but it wasn’t the only factor. Early humans likely hunted Glyptodon for its meat and fur, and evidence suggests they may have even repurposed its enormous shells as shelters to protect themselves from the cold.
