Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct genus of dog-sized, armadillo xenarthran mammals which first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, and became extinct in the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns. Aside from the horned gophers of North America, it is the only known fossorial horned mammal. Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore because of its large, triangular-shaped teeth, Vizcaino and Farina argued in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore. Taxonomy The genus was originally classified as belonging to the family Chlamyphoridae, but in 2007 was placed in its own family Peltephilidae by Darin A. Croft, John J. Flynn and Andre Wyss. Distribution Fossils of Peltephilus have been found in: Deseadan Argentina - Sarmiento Formation Bolivia - Salla Formation Miocene Argentina - Colloncuran Collón Curá Formation and Santacrucian Santa Cruz Formation Bolivia - Colloncuran Nazareno Formation Chile - Santacrucian Chucal Formation References Bibliography Prehistoric placental genera Prehistoric cingulates Oligocene xenarthrans Miocene xenarthrans Miocene genus extinctions Oligocene genus first appearances Oligocene mammals of South America Miocene mammals of South America Mayoan Laventan Colloncuran Friasian Santacrucian Colhuehuapian Deseadan Paleogene Argentina Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Cañadón Asfalto Basin Golfo San Jorge Basin Paleogene Bolivia Neogene Bolivia Fossils of Bolivia Neogene Chile Fossils of Chile Fossil taxa described in 1887 Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino Sarmiento Formation