GLYPTODON

genus of extinct giant armadillo-like mammals found as fossils in deposits in South and North America from the Pleistocene Epoch (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago). Glyptodon and its relatives were encased from head to tail in thick, protective bony armour. The glyptodont's body shell alone was as much as 1.5 m (5 feet) long. The tail, clad in armour, could serve as a lethal club; indeed, in some relatives of Glyptodon the tip of the tail was covered with a knob of bone that was sometimes spiked. Glyptodonts ate almost anythingplants, carrion, or insects.