Body mass estimation for Neoglyptatelus uruguayensis Fernicola et al., 2017 (Mammalia, Cingulata, Pachyarmatheriidae)

Resumen

This study presents the first body mass estimation for a member of the Pachyarmatheriidae, a distinctive group of cingulates that includes species with two rigid armours covering most of the body, unlike armadillos, which have mobile bands, or glyptodonts, characterized by a single continuous armour plate. Specifically, we estimate the body mass of Neoglyptatelus uruguayensis, a late Miocene member of the family Pachyarmatheriidae. Body mass estimations were performed using allometric equations based on extant cingulates and through a geometrical model of its armour. The results ranged from 16 kg to 28 kg, with the most reliable approximation suggesting a body mass of approximately 17 kg. We also estimated the position of the centre of mass and made some paleobiological suggestions based on our results.

Keywords: body mass estimation, allometry, geometrical model, Neoglyptatelus uruguayensis, Pachyarmatheriidae, Cingulata.