With armor like a tank and a tail like a mace, doedicurus was not a mammal to mess with. Even the strongest predators would have had trouble tackling a beast that weight as much as a car. Failing to break through doedicurus' tough shell, an enemy could have found itself on the receiving end of a lashing from its spiked tail, often with lethal results.
The Club: Doedicurus' tail ended in a spiked club. Packed with deadly force, this weapon was only used for defense against predators and competition with rival males.
Dome Home: The bulk of this creature's body was protected by a domed shell of fused bone and covered in a thick layer of horn.
Disappearing Act[]
It's difficult to imagine that a beast with such great defenses was killed off by predators, so there's a mystery about why doedicurus disappeared. Some scientists claim that it couldn't adapt to extreme climate changes, or that its food sources became too scarce. Others believe that doedicurus was still around when early humans appeared, and may have been hunted to extinction by man with his primitive weapons. Modern-day armadilloes are doedicurus' closest living relatives.
Helmet Head: The top of doedicurus' head was covered by a hard plate of bone, protecting it from even the largest predators.
Big on Salads: Doedicurus was a plant-eating machine. Its jaws were strong to help it chew through tough grasses, and its thick claws help the best dig up large roots.
Homeland Defense[]
Based on dents found in doedicurus fossils, scientists know that these mammals used their spiked tails to fight each other. A male that dominated a territory was often challenged. The two would smash their massive clubs into one another's armored domes until one backed off.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Did You Know? section is missing a space after the comma.
- The doedicurus is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- The doedicurus is featured in Dining Out on Monster Mania 9.
- It is then featured in Fossil Finders on Monster Mania 26.
- It is later featured in Find The Fakes on Monster Mania 44.
- It is then featured in Heavyweight Champions on Monster Mania 51.