Peltephilus

Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct genus of armadillo xenarthran mammals that first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, and became extinct in the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns. Aside from the horned gophers of North America, it is the only known fossorial horned mammal. P. ferox had skull about 11.7 centimetres (4.6 in), and estimated body mass is around 11.07 kilograms (24.4 lb).

Peltephilus
Interpretation of P. ferox
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cingulata
Family: †Peltephilidae
Genus: †Peltephilus
Ameghino 1887
Type species
†Peltephilus ferox
Species
  • P. depressus Ameghino 1897
  • P. ferox Ameghino 1891 (type)
  • P. giganteus Ameghino 1894
  • P. granosus Ameghino 1902
  • P. protervus Ameghino 1897
  • P. pumilus Ameghino 1887
  • P. strepens Ameghino 1887
  • P. undulatus Ameghino 1897

Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore because of its large, triangular-shaped teeth, Vizcaino and Farina argued in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore.

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