Fossil giant armadillo skeleton
Place Collected(Object)
: South America, Ecuador, Guayas Province, Corralito? Dimensions:length=285; width=80; height=76 cm
Taxonomy
- Attributes
- Objects
- Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Animalia
- Phylum:
Chordata
- Class:
Mammalia
- Order:
Xenarthra
- Family:
Pampatheriidae
- Genus:
Holmesina
- SpecificEpithet:
occidentalis
Object number: ROMVP55369
Gallery Location:Reed Family Gallery of the Age of Mammals, South America, Xenarthrans, Holmesina
DescriptionHolmesina was a pampathere, an animal that resembled a giant armadillo but which was probably more closely related to glyptodonts. Although not as large or as well armoured as glyptodonts, Holmesina was also a grazing mammal. Pampatheres, armadillos and glyptodonts all belonged to the group of armoured xenarthrans. Although more common in South America, pampatheres did spread across the land bridge into North America, but are now extinct.
