Holmesina is anextinctgenus ofpampathere, an extinct group ofarmadillo-likexenarthrans that were distantly related toextant armadillos. Like armadillos, and unlike the other extinct branch of megafaunalcingulates, theglyptodonts, the shell was made up of flexible plates which allowed the animal to move more easily.
Holmesina occidentalisLife reconstruction ofHolmesina floridanus and size comparation.
Holmesina individuals were much larger than any modern armadillo: They could reach a length of 2 metres (6.6 ft), and a weight of 227 kilograms (500 lb), while the moderngiant armadillo does not attain more than 54 kilograms (119 lb).[2]
They traveled north during thefaunal interchange, and adapted well toNorth America, like theground sloths, glyptodonts, armadillos,capybaras, and otherSouth American immigrants. During the Late Pleistocene,Holmesina dispersed from North America back into South America, as evidenced by the morphological similarity of Late Pleistocene species in South America.[3] Their fossils are found from Brazil to the United States,[4] mostly inTexas andFlorida.
Holmesina species wereherbivores that grazed on coarse vegetation; armadillos are mostlyinsectivorous oromnivorous.[5]H. paulacoutoi was a generalist plant-eater but had a preference for C4 plants.[6]
^Moura, J. F.; Gois, F.; Galliari, F. C.; Fernandes, M. A. (2019). "A new and most complete pampathere (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Cingulata) from the Quaternary of Bahia, Brazil".Zootaxa.4661 (3):401–444.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4661.3.1.PMID31716695.S2CID202858857.
^Vizcaíno, S. F.; De Iuliis, G.; Bargo, M. S. (1998). "Skull Shape, Masticatory Apparatus, and Diet ofVassallia andHolmesina (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Pampatheriidae): When Anatomy Constrains Destiny".Journal of Mammalian Evolution.5 (4):291–322.doi:10.1023/A:1020500127041.S2CID20186439.
J. C. Cisneros. 2005. New Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from El Salvador. Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 8(3):239-255
P. J. Gaudioso, G. M. Gasparini, and R. M. Barquez. 2016. Paleofauna del Pleistoceno de Termas de Rio Hondo, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Ameghiniana 53(6):54-54
J. I. Mead, S. L. Swift, R. S. White, H. G. McDonald, and A. Baez. 2007. Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) glyptodont and pampathere (Xenarthra, Cingulata) from Sonora, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 24(3):439-449
