Giant armadillos (scientifically - glyptodons) not so long ago - by the standards of evolution - lived on the planet.
One of the most striking finds of battleships was made by accident. In Argentina, a shepherd discovered the remains of a glyptodon family. This allowed scientists to reconstruct their way of life.
Giant armadillos appeared in the Americas about 16 million years ago. Glyptodons weighed up to 2 tons and reached almost 3 meters in length, had a very thick and durable shell.
Remains of the glyptodon family
People caught giant battleships and hunted them. On the American continent, people began to settle 15 thousand years ago. The Indians are the descendants of the first settlers who came from the territory of modern Altai. Then the climate was colder and the Bering Strait could be crossed by land.
Scientists believe that the animals whose remains were found by the shepherd died at the same time. Probably, it was a flash flood or, conversely, a volcano covered with lava or a raging fire.
Giant battleships died out 12 thousand years ago. The extinction of the glyptodons coincided with climate change on the planet and the spread of humans across America.
The armor of the glyptodon was effective against all predators except humans. People easily found vulnerabilities in the armor.
The problem with giant armadillos is that they are herd animals. We lived in families. And the kids could not survive on their own if their parents died. This made them additionally vulnerable.
Where did all the giant beasts disappear?
Glyptodons are not the only giant animals who mysteriously disappeared in the relatively (by the standards of evolution) recent past.
In science there is even a term - Pleistocene megafauna. These are large animals, usually more than 2 tons, which inhabited the entire planet - from America and Australia to Eurasia and Africa.
In addition to the well-known mammoth, there were also giant raccoons, sloths and marsupials like kangaroos. There were also very large predators - giant wolves, saber-toothed cats and hyenas. Or - in the photo - a giant short-faced bear.
And they all disappeared between 130 and 10 thousand years ago.
During this period, three events coincided that greatly influenced the disappearance of the giant animals. First, climate change. A sharp cold snap set in, affecting many species. Secondly, the resettlement of people. People willingly ate large animals. In addition, people could destroy the nutrient medium of these animals. Thirdly, volcanic activity, which intensified in some areas during this period.
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