Proeutatus
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Through Extinction and South America
Description
This animal was vaguely similar to the extant six-banded armadillo, and was similarly sized. The skull was approximately 12 centimeters long, the whole animal not exceeding more than half a meter in length for a weight between 5 and 6 kilograms. Proeutatus had a quite sturdy body, a high reared skull with an elongated snout and a sturdy set of teeth compared to those of many other armadillos.
The skull of Proeutatus had some characteristics distinguishing it from the more similar forms, such as Stenotatus and Eutatus ; the premaxilla had an upper tooth, the zygomatic arch was expanded and had a suborbital process ; the mandible was more robust, with an almost vertically ascending branch and a higher coronoid process. The general shape of the skull was, in lateral view, concave, while it was straight and downwards tending for Eutatus. A sagittal crest was present, suggesting the existence of powerful masticatory muscles. The dentition was very robust, and the teeth possessed a posterolabial lobe, indicating a particular chewing movement.
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Classification
The first remains of Proeutatus were found in Argentina and described in 1887 by Florentino Ameghino, who attributed them to the genus Eutatus. In 1891, Ameghino created the genus Proeutatus for those remains ; the two known species are Proeutatus oenophorus, the type species, and P. postpuntum.
Proeutatus was historically considered to be a member of the group Eutatinae, composed of medium to large armadillos specialized in an herbivorous diet. More recent researches indicates that it was a basal member of the family Chlamyphoridae, close to the origin of the glyptodonts and the Pampatheres.
Paleobiology
The structure of its jaws and teeth indicates that it had an omnivorous diet, with notable specializations for the consumption of vegetal matters. Proeutatus was among the armadillos the most specialized towards an herbivorous diet.