Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct
genus of
armadilloxenarthranmammals that first inhabited
Argentina during the
Oligoceneepoch, 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.[1]P. ferox had skull about 11.7 centimetres (4.6 in),[2] and estimated body mass is around 11.07 kilograms (24.4 lb).[3]
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.[4]
^Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. pp. 208–209.
ISBN1-84028-152-9.