The megafauna of present-day South American countries Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina during the Ice Age was characterized by giant ground sloths and massive armored creatures called glyptodonts. These armored animals, related to modern armadillos, could grow over 1.5 meters long and weigh between 1,500 and 2,000 kilograms. They are now extinct.

The name “glyptodont” means “grooved tooth,” referring to their teeth, which were marked by deep grooves. Many species of glyptodonts are known; they were herbivores that lived along riverbanks and in the pampas, the vast grasslands of Pleistocene South America. Glyptodont fossils have also been found in North America, but these specimens were less remarkable than those from their South American homeland.

The bony, dome-shaped shell was made up of many individual segments, or scutes, providing excellent protection against predators of the time. The top of their skull was also reinforced with similar hard scutes.

This life-size model is based on the fossil record, meaning it was designed using actual fossil evidence. A fossilized skull and part of a bony shell can also be seen here in Historyland.