Description

Dasypus bellus was about two to two and a half times the size of the living nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Their diet was probably similar to the modern species, largely invertebrate animals, but the larger size of the fossil species may have allowed successful capture of small vertebrate animals, such as lizards and ground birds.

On average, the osteoderms of the shell and the limb bones of Dasypus bellusare about two to two and a half times the size of those of the living nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus. Fossils of Dasypus bellus have been found at many types of sites in Florida, including caves, sinkholes, river sites, coastal, and lake deposits. Isolated osteoderms are the most frequent type of fossil found, as is typical with cingulates generally. The two most common types of osteoderms recovered are the hexagonal elements that comprise most of the shoulder (pectoral) and pelvic regions of the carapace, the so-called buckler or immovable osteoderms, and the elongate rectangular elements from the movable bands, the imbricating or movable osteoderms (Holmes and Simpson, 1931; Hill, 2006).