Glyptodonts for Lunch

Though many critters from the depths of time are extinct, some have living relatives today. There are living things that were thought to be extinct, then discovered to be alive and labeled living fossils.

One animal from days of old is the dilly of armor, the armadillo. It is linked to the glyptodont group. As with some other creatures, even the largest of the armadillos are dwarfed by ancient relatives. DNA reveals that glyptodonts are actually giant armadillos — and may have been on the dining menu for some people.

Glyptodon clavipes, Flickr / S. Rae (adjusted), (CC BY 2.0)

As to why animals were much larger back then, biblical creationists and secular scientists have differing ideas. Creationists have suggested longer lifespans and with them, delayed maturation. However, creationists are uncertain if the pre-Flood conditions on Earth played a part in bigness (which included the Ice Age). Also, secular scientists say cutting marks found on bones indicate slicing off meat from the glyptodont. Creationists disagree with the assigned 20,000 year value — with several good reasons to reject their dating methods, as discussed before.

Analysis of cut marks on Ice Age bones of a large armadillo-like glyptodont from Argentina suggests that humans killed and used these creatures for food.1,2 The cut marks belonged to fossil remains of a glyptodont in the genus Neosclerocalyptus that was discovered on the banks of the Reconquista River in eastern Argentina. By old-age reckoning, these bones are more than 20,000 years old. The cut marks were consistent with those made by stone tools on other fossil bones.

To read the rest, journey to "Humans Butchered Giant 'Armadillos'."