The glyptodon (same word in French) is no longer extant, although it was a herbivorous mammal which appeared in South America about 1.8 million years ago, and became extinct about 11,500 years ago. Its carapace consisted of thousands of bony plates, obviously important to its protection. Its head and tail also consisted of bony substances. It weighed more than a tonne and its closest existing neighbour is the armadillo.
This specimen is in fact the star of Dijon's Muséum d'histoire naturelle. It was Léonard Nodot (1802-59) who founded the museum and was its first director. Vice-admiral Dupotet had brought back 2000 skeletal fragments of the animal from South America, left them to the town of Dijon, and Nodot patiently reconstructed the glyptodon from what there was. This was at a time when very little was known of the glyptodon by naturalists and Nodot's work was to be of great help to researchers.
Éric Chevillard is much concerned with self-protection, particularly in the non-human animal kingdom (analogies, of course), and his novel Démolir Nisard | Demolishing Nisard (2006) is where I first learned of the (former) existence of the glyptodon. In this novel the narrator's hatred for Désiré Nisard slightly gives way to his appreciation of Nodot. As I say in that post:
'There is a positive to the negative, and as Nisard is 'demolished', then the narrator suggests that Léonard Nodot, the founder of the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Dijon (where Chevillard lives) should be 'resurrected'. The narrator particularly enjoys visiting the museum to see the 'resurrection' of the prehistoric gigantic armadillo there, the glyptodon.'
This specimen is in fact the star of Dijon's Muséum d'histoire naturelle. It was Léonard Nodot (1802-59) who founded the museum and was its first director. Vice-admiral Dupotet had brought back 2000 skeletal fragments of the animal from South America, left them to the town of Dijon, and Nodot patiently reconstructed the glyptodon from what there was. This was at a time when very little was known of the glyptodon by naturalists and Nodot's work was to be of great help to researchers.
Éric Chevillard is much concerned with self-protection, particularly in the non-human animal kingdom (analogies, of course), and his novel Démolir Nisard | Demolishing Nisard (2006) is where I first learned of the (former) existence of the glyptodon. In this novel the narrator's hatred for Désiré Nisard slightly gives way to his appreciation of Nodot. As I say in that post:
'There is a positive to the negative, and as Nisard is 'demolished', then the narrator suggests that Léonard Nodot, the founder of the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Dijon (where Chevillard lives) should be 'resurrected'. The narrator particularly enjoys visiting the museum to see the 'resurrection' of the prehistoric gigantic armadillo there, the glyptodon.'
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