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Hand anatomy of the giant armadillo. The giant armadillo is the largest living species of armadillo, with 11 to 13 hinged bands protecting the body and a further three or four on the neck. [6] Its body is dark brown in color, with a lighter, yellowish band running along the sides, and a pale, yellow-white head.
Macroeuphractus is a genus of extinct armadillos from the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene of South America.The genus is noted for its large size, with Macroeuphractus outesi being the largest non-pampathere or glyptodont armadillo discovered, as well as its specializations for carnivory, unique among all xenarthrans.
Doedicurus (Ancient Greek δοῖδυξ "pestle" and oυρά "tail") is an extinct genus of glyptodont from South America containing one species, D. clavicaudatus.Glyptodonts are a member of the family Chlamyphoridae, which also includes some modern armadillo species, and they are classified in the superorder Xenarthra alongside sloths and anteaters.
Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Cingulata is an order of armored placental mammals.Members of this order are called cingulates, or colloquially, armadillos.They are primarily found in South America, though the northern naked-tailed armadillo is found mainly in Central America and the nine-banded armadillo has a range extending into North America.
The giant armadillo grows up to 150 cm (59 in) and weighs up to 54 kg (119 lb), while the pink fairy armadillo has a length of only 13–15 cm (5–6 in). When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball; they are the only species of armadillo capable of this.
Cut marks found on giant armadillo fossils suggest the presence of early humans in what’s now Argentina more than 20,000 years ago — far earlier than once thought.
Two groups of cingulates much larger than extant armadillos (maximum body mass of 45 kg (100 lb) in the case of the giant armadillo [2]) existed until recently: pampatheriids, which reached weights of up to 200 kg (440 lb) [3] and chlamyphorid glyptodonts, which attained masses of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) [4] or more.
The nine-banded armadillo has been rapidly expanding its range both north and east within the United States, where it is the only regularly occurring species of armadillo. The armadillo crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in the late 19th century, and was introduced in Florida at about the same time by humans.