Glyptodonts, Extinct Animals, Were Close Relatives of Giant Armadillos

Glyptodonts, Extinct Animals, Were Close Relatives of Giant Armadillos
An illustration of ancient Glyptodonts. Peter Schouten
Epoch Newsroom
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New analysis of DNA evidence indicates that Glyptodonts, a species of extinct animals, were close relatives to giant armadillos.

Some paleontologists have suspected that Glyptodonts were related to modern armored mammals. To find out where the species fit on the family tree, researchers extracted fragments of DNA from a specimen unearthed in the 19th century outside Buenos Aires.

After reconstructing the animal’s mitochondrial genome, they compared the genome to those of modern armadillo-like animals.