Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis was a comparatively small (compared to Glyptodon) species of glyptodont, extinct relatives of the modern armadillo. The mammal, identified in 2007 from the fossilized remains of a specimen found in 2004, weighed approximately 200 pounds and had a shell covered by tiny circular bumps.[1] It lumbered around northern Chile in the Chucal Formation, an area now dominated by the Andes mountain range, some 18 million years ago.[2][3] Fossils of the glyptodont also have been found in Peru (Ipururo and Pebas Formations).[4]
| Parapropalaehoplophorus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | Chlamyphoridae |
| Subfamily: | †Glyptodontinae |
| Genus: | †Parapropalaehoplophorus |
| Species: | †P. septentrionalis
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| Binomial name | |
| †Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis Croft, Flynn & Wyss, 2007
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Etymology edit
The name of the genus is the result of a chain of derivations from other genera. The name means "near Propalaehoplophorus," which refers to the phylogenetic position of this animal and the fact that these two genera lived in what is now Chile during the same time period (though their fossils have not been found within the same formation).[1] This name is itself derived from Palaehoplophorus, which in turn is derived from Hoplophorus. In each case, a newly discovered fossil animal was named after a previously known one with similar traits.
References edit
- ^ a b Croft, Darin A.; Flynn, John J.; Wyss, André R. (2007-12-12). "A new basal glyptodontid and other Xenarthra of the early Miocene Chucal Fauna, Northern Chile". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (4): 781–797. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[781:ANBGAO]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 85892530.
- ^ Giant Armadillo Relative Found Archived 2007-12-13 at the Wayback Machine Discovery News
- ^ Primitive Early Relative Of Armadillos Helps Rewrite Evolutionary Family Tree ScienceDaily.com
- ^ Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis at Fossilworks.org
External links edit
- Artist's reconstruction of P. septentrionalis at LiveScience.com
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