The Armor of Fossil Giant Armadillos (Pampatheriidae, Xenarthra, Mammalia)

Contents: Abstract -- Sumario -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- A General Description of the Armor -- Types and Numbers of Osteoderms -- Structutres of Osteoderms -- Detailed Description of each Area -- Conclusions -- ReferencesFossil giant armadillos are protected by armor consisting of about 800 osteoderms covering the body, head, tail, legs and feet. The body armor is composed of an anterior (pectoral) buckler and a posterior (pelvic) buckler, separated by three transverse bands of imbricating plates. In one phyletic line the pelvic osteoderms are rectangular, rather than polygonal. The surficial ornamentation of the keratin-bearing portion of the osteoderms appears to be conservative and taxonomically characteristic in at least two major phyletic lineages. These characters will be used in a future taxonomic revision.Texas Memorial Museu