Peltephilus

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title: "Peltephilus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["prehistoric-placental-genera", "prehistoric-cingulates", "oligocene-xenarthrans", "miocene-xenarthrans", "miocene-genus-extinctions", "oligocene-genus-first-appearances", "oligocene-mammals-of-south-america", "mayoan", "laventan", "colloncuran", "friasian", "santacrucian", "colhuehuapian", "deseadan", "paleogene-argentina", "neogene-argentina", "fossils-of-argentina", "cañadón-asfalto-basin", "golfo-san-jorge-basin", "paleogene-bolivia", "neogene-bolivia", "fossils-of-bolivia", "neogene-chile", "fossils-of-chile", "fossil-taxa-described-in-1887", "taxa-named-by-florentino-ameghino", "sarmiento-formation", "miocene-mammals-of-south-america"] description: "Extinct genus of mammals" topic_path: "geography/argentina" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltephilus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Extinct genus of mammals ::

| fossil_range = Oligocene-Mid Miocene (Deseadan-Mayoan) ~ | image = Peltephilus ferox.JPG | image_caption = Interpretation of P. ferox | taxon = Peltephilus | authority = Ameghino 1887 | type_species = †Peltephilus ferox | type_species_authority = Ameghino 1887 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision =

• P. depressus Ameghino 1897
• P. ferox Ameghino 1891 (type)
• P. giganteus Ameghino 1894
• P. granosus Ameghino 1902
• P. protervus Ameghino 1897
• P. pumilus Ameghino 1887
• P. quebradensis Ciancio, Pujos & Cerdeño, 2025
• P. strepens Ameghino 1887
• P. undulatus Ameghino 1897 ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Peltephilus_ferox_skull.jpg" caption="Skull of ''P. ferox''"] ::

Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct genus of armadillo xenarthran mammals that first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, 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.

Description

P. ferox had a skull about 11.7 cm long, and its estimated body mass is around 11.07 kg.

The upper teeth on the anterior side of the skull were sharp, and they passed outside the lower teeth when the jaw was shut. The teeth of Peltephilus were covered in dentin. Visually, it looks as if Peltephilus had a full set of incisors, though they only bore one on each side, like modern armadillos. The centre of the molariform teeth was formed by degenerated linear osteodentine. The orthodentine contained odontoblastic processes with abundant short extensions and reached the outer surfaces. Cementum was absent from the teeth.

Taxonomy

The genus was originally classified as belonging to the family Chlamyphoridae, but in 2007 was placed in its own family Peltephilidae by Darin A. Croft, John J. Flynn and Andre Wyss.

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore because of its large, triangular-shaped teeth, Vizcaino and Fariña argued in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore.

Distribution

Fossils of Peltephilus have been found in:

;Deseadan

• Argentina – Sarmiento Formation
• Bolivia – Salla Formation

;Miocene

• Argentina – Colloncuran Collón Curá Formation and Santacrucian Santa Cruz Formation
• Bolivia – Colloncuran Nazareno Formation
• Chile – Santacrucian Chucal Formation

References

Bibliography

• {{cite journal |last1=Croft |author-link=Darin A. Croft |first1=Darin A. |last2=Flynn |first2=John J. |last3=Wyss |author3-link=Andre Wyss |first3=André R. |year=2007 |title=A new basal Glyptodontid and other Xenarthra of the Early Miocene Chucal Fauna, northern Chile |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232694422 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=781–797 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[781:ANBGAO]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=85892530 |accessdate=2017-08-15}}

References

1. (1999). "The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals". Marshall Editions.
2. (2018). "A Review of the Fossil Record of North American Turtles of the Clade Pan-Testudinoidea". [[Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History]].
3. (2012). "Paleobiology of Santacrucian glyptodonts and armadillos (Xenarthra, Cingulata)". Cambridge University Press.
4. (1913). "A history of land mammals in the western hemisphere". New York, The MacMillan Company.
5. (31 March 2011). "Microstructure of dental hard tissues in fossil and recent xenarthrans (Mammalia: Folivora and Cingulata)". [[Journal of Morphology]].
6. Croft et al., 2007
7. Vizcaino, S. F., & R. A. Farina (1997), Diet and locomotion of the armadillo ''Peltephilus'': a new view. ''Lethaia'', 30, 79-86.
8. [https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=43550 ''Peltephilus''] at [[Fossilworks]].org
9. Shockey, 2017
10. González Ruiz et al., 2013, p. 323

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