Ancient DNA reveals phylogeny of prehistoric armadillos

Before the last ice age, South America had an impressive array of megafauna including the megatherium, a sloth the size of an elephant, and a wide variety of glyptodonts, a group of imposing armored mammals. Glyptodonts have been traditionally considered to represent a phylogenetically distinct group close to the cingulates (armadillos). However, their exact affinities have remained an enigma until now. A research group led by the Institut des sciences de l'évolution de Montpellier (CNRS / Université de Montpellier / IRD / EPHE), the McMaster Ancient DNA Center in Canada¹, and also involving the Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements in France (CNRS / MNHN Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle / UPMC) have answered this question by sequencing the whole mitochondrial genome of a 12,000-year-old specimen. The researchers managed to show that the glyptodonts are an extinct lineage of cingulates that experienced a spectacular increase in size following their appearance 35 million years ago. This research is published on 22nd February 2016 in the journal Current Biology . Glyptodonts are classified in the Xenarthra superorder, together with armadillos, sloths and anteaters.