Glyptodont Body Armor

These are bits of boney armor from the shell of a large xenarthran. (The Xenarthra is the taxon that includes armadillos, sloths, glyptodonts, and anteaters.) This armor arises from the dermis of the glyptodont. The armor bits are sometimes preserved as fossils.

These bits of glyptodont bone are called "osteoderms," not "scutes."

(Scutes are the chitonous scales that cover these osteoderms in life. Scutes are thin, flexible, and translucent. Scutes arise from the epidermis of the animals. Scutes are never preserved as fossils.)