Giant ArmadilloHolmesina septentrionalisHolmesina floridanusThese two giant armadillo species from the genus Holmesina were discovered in Florida. Holmesina septentrionalis was from the middle to late Pleistocene period (500,000 to 10,000 years ago) and Holmesina floridanus was from the late Pliocene to the early Pleistocene period (2.5 to 1.5 Million years ago). 
Holmesina septentrionalis was an extinct, giant 6+ foot Armadillo that weighed about 500-600 pounds. It was twice as big as its relative floridanus. These are part of the group known as Edentata meaning “without teeth”. Most Armadillos have basic peg-like teeth, but with no incisors or canines. Their peg-like teeth have no enamel on them. This is an evolutionary trait from eating ants, grubs, and other soft bodied insects. Their teeth grow continually and never wear out. 
Holmesina had hundreds and hundreds of the bony scutes in either a rectangle or pentagon shape. These dermal ostroderms, or bony armor scutes, protected the animal from its enemies. The top of the head has scutes grouped together for a head shield. Rings of overlapping articulating scutes or osteoderms help form the shell or carapace of the body. Some osteoderms making up the carapace are movable and others are not. The movable osteoderms give some flexibility to the carapace in the living animal. The tail has a complete covering of rigid grouped rings of osteoderms. In Holmesina, these scutes or osteoderms are thinner and absent of the “rosette” pattern as found in another giant Ice Age Mammal Edentate, the Glyptodonts. The fossil evidence suggests that these animals migrated from South America by way of a land bridge to North America, starting in the late Pliocene period. There has been more Armadillo fossils discovered in Florida, than any other place in North America. There is not much doubt that other species have yet to be discovered. American Lion Bear Dog Cave Lion Columbian Mammoth Dire Wolf Fossil Manatee Fossil Tapir Giant Beaver Giant Capybara Glyptodont Gomphotheres Harlan's Ground Sloth Mastodon Miocene Rhino Saber-Toothed Cats Scimitar Cat Woolly Mammoth Woolly Rhino Back to Prehistoric Mammals Leave Giant Armadillo / Go to Home Page
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