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ASSOCIATED SET OF GIANT ARMADILLO ARMOR PLATES

Suwannee River (Gilchrist County) - Florida, U.S.A.

PLEISTOCENE PERIOD:  1.81 million years - 10,000 years ago

From the Pleistocene deposits of the Suwannee River in Florida, this is a magnificent set of associated armor plates (scutes) of the extinct Giant Armadillo Holmesina septentrionalis.  This set of four plates and the set offered in LM5-002 were all found in a concentrated deposit from the same animal.  Their lighter color convey a protective clay layer in which they were found hence their immaculate state of preservation.  These plates are all completely intact and without damage and represent the bizarre geometric varieties of armor scutes that made up the massive tank-like shell of this strange beast of the last Ice Age.  Guaranteed NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION.  An affordable set of associated fossil remains offering a unique and educational specimen for your collection.

In North America, there are two species of Holmesina that are known with both based on Florida finds.  The smaller animal is named, H. floridanus and lived during the late Pliocene on into the early Pleistocene.  Floridanus' larger cousin at more than twice its size, H. septentrionalis, ranged from the middle to late Pleistocene.  

At over 600 pounds and exceeding 6 feet in length, the Giant Armadillo must have been one heavy land tank of an animal.  It is believed these creatures spread to Florida during the Pleistocene from their original domain in South America.  It is still a mystery as to what they ate.  Modern armadillos eat insects but to sustain 600 pounds of body mass would have required some other type of food source.  About 9800  years ago, a dramatic shift in the climate caused their extinction in Florida.

HIGHLY UNIQUE AND FINEST QUALITY PRESERVATION FOUND IN THIS ARMOR PLATE SET!

1.75" - 1.25" in length

SOLD     LM5-003     INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX     Actual Item - One Only

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