Glyptotherium (SciiFii)

The greater glyptodont (Glyptotherium texanum) is a species of large, heavily armored mammals of the subfamily Glyptodontinae (glyptodonts or glyptodontines) – relatives of armadillos – that originally lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene epoch and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to North America and South America to help boost biodiversity. The greater glyptodont is roughly the same size and weight as a Volkswagen Beetle, though flatter in shape. With its rounded, bony shell and squat limbs, it superficially resembles a turtle, and the dinosaurian ankylosaur – providing an example of the convergent evolution of unrelated lineages into similar forms. In 2016 an analysis of the closely related Doedicurus DNA found it is, in fact, nested within the modern-styled armadillos as the sister group of a clade consisting of Chlamyphorinae and Tolypeutinae. For this reason, glyptodonts and all armadillos but Dasypus were relocated to a new family, Chlamyphoridae, and glyptodonts were demoted from the former family Glyptodontidae to a subfamily. The greater glyptodont is a peaceful herbivore that feeds mainly on shrubs, fruits, and grasses, using its wide muzzle with a short retractable tapir-like trunk to help grip the vegetation it feeds on, and like most other xenarthrans, greater glyptodonts have lower energy requirements than most other mammals, so they can survive with lower intake rates than other herbivores with similar mass. In more humid areas, the greater glyptodonts normally grazes near water sources such as rivers and lakes in a manner similar to tapirs and hippos. The conservation status of the greater glyptodont is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the greater glyptodont's wide natural range, and its ability to tolerate habitat disturbance in a level similar to those of whitetail/mule deer, allowing it to survive and flourish in parts of cities and suburbs.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii