Beautiful Armadillo

Beautiful armadillo Dasypus bellus

The extinct beautiful armadillo was a larger cousin of the modern nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is still found throughout the southeastern U.S. Several researchers question whether the two animals really represent different species or are simply variations of the same species (e.g., Schubert and Graham 2000), a question that is currently being addressed through ongoing DNA research (Letts and Shapiro 2010).

Beautiful armadillo drawing

A reconstructive sketch of an adult and a juvenile Dasypus bellus, beautiful armadillo. The sketch is by Julie Snider and appeared on the cover of a 1993 issue of the Illinois State Museum's Living Museum (volume 55, number 1). 

Order: 
Xenarthra (Sloths and Armadillos)
Family: 
Dasypodidae (Armadillos)
Statistics: 

Length: 1.2 m (4 ft); McDonald 2005

Weight: 15-20 kg (33-44 lb); McDonald 2005

Status: 
Extinct