Marine Glyptodont

The marine glyptodont Thalassohoplotherium inexpectans was one of the big surprise discoveries of the Janosek expedition to JK04A2. The first sightings described it as an amalgam of sea turtle, whale and a fat shrimp, but it was soon identified as a marine armadillo. This large aquatic herbivore seems to have taken up the niches of various tropical sirenians, feeding mainly on aquatic angiosperms, and genetic analyses show it diverged from other glyptodonts approximately 20 million years ago, when the Atrahasians populated JK04A2 with terrestrial taxa imported from the South America, Australia and (presumably) Antarctis.

In the last 20 million years Thalassohoplotheriids have gone through a rapid evolution into a fully aquatic taxon. Their limbs have turned into paddles, with the hind pair being largely vestigial. Thalassohoplotherium propels itself forward with a powerful tail that has a fluke instead of the formidable mace of its terrestrial cousins. It has retained the dermal armor of its ancestors and even added to it, possibly as defense against the various large sharks and marine crocodiles of JK04A2. In fact some individuals show signs of healed shark bites. It is however unlikely that sharks would regularly attempt to attack these animals, though young individuals may be more vulnerable. Thalassohoplotherium does not normally venture on land, but spends its entire life in the sea.

Due to its scientific name being such a mouthful, researchers have tried to coin various colloquial terms for the creature. Among others it has been called bahamut, glyptodee, zaratan and mock turtle.


This big lump of nonsense is my entry to Hyrotrioskjan's second Spec Challenge (Pelagic Xenarthra).