Description
- Holmesina floridanus
- Giant Armadillo
- Scute/Armor Plate
- Pliocene ~ Pleistocene
- Gilchrist County, Florida
- Specimen measures approx. 3 1/4″ long and will come in the 5.25″ x 6.25″ Riker Mount as Shown
Holmesina is a genus of pampathere, an extinct group of armadillo-like creatures that were distantly related to extant armadillos. Like armadillos, and unlike the other extinct branch of megafaunal cingulates, the glyptodonts, the shell was made up of overlapping flexible scutes or armor plates which allowed the animal to move more easily. Holmesina species were herbivores that grazed on coarse vegetation; armadillos are mostly insectivorous or omnivorous. Holmesina floridanus individuals were much larger than any modern armadillo: They could reach a length of over 6 feet long, and a weight of 500 lbs, while the modern giant armadillo does not attain more than 54 kg (119 lbs).
