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Scelidotheriinae
Scelidotheriidae is a family of extinct ground sloths within the order Pilosa, suborder Folivora and superfamily Mylodontoidea, related to the other extinct mylodontoid family, Mylodontidae, as well as to the living two-toed sloth family Choloepodidae. The only other extant family of the suborder Folivora is the distantly related Bradypodidae. Erected as the family Scelidotheriidae by Ameghino in 1889, the taxon was demoted to a subfamily by Gaudin in 1995. However, recent collagen sequence data indicates the group is less closely related to ''Mylodon'' and ''Lestodon'' than '' Choloepus'' is, and thus it has been elevated back to full family status by Presslee ''et al.'' (2019). Taxonomy Together with Mylodontidae, and the two-toed sloths, the scelidotheriids form the superfamily Mylodontoidea. ''Chubutherium'' is an ancestral and very plesiomorph In phylogenetics, a plesiomorphy ("near form") and symplesiomorphy are synonyms for an ancestral character shared by all ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catonyx
''Catonyx'' is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Scelidotheriidae, endemic to South America during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. It lived from 2.5 Ma to about 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately . The most recent date obtained is about 9600 B.P. Description This animal, like many other terrestrial sloths, was of conspicuous size and mighty build. It had to reach and exceed 4 meters in length, and the skull alone was at least 50 centimeters long. Its weight has been estimated at over 1500 kg. The snout of ''Catonyx'' was elongated, although not as in some similar forms (e.g., ''Scelidotherium''). Unlike the latter, ''Catonyx'' possessed shorter premaxillae that formed a triangular (and not rectangular like ''Scelidotherium'') snout tip, a pronounced rostrum bulge, a palate equipped with a median groove, and larger teeth. In addition, the mandibular symphysis was elongated and elevated, and the posterior lobe of the lower fourth molar was more curve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valgipes
''Valgipes'' is an extinct genus of scelidotheriid ground sloth, endemic to intertropical Brazil and Uruguay during the Late Pleistocene. Thought to have been a forest-dwelling browser, ''Valgipes'' is a monotypic genus with a complex and long taxonomic history, and is a close relative of '' Catonyx'' and '' Proscelidodon''. Taxonomy The taxonomic history of Scelidotheriidae in Brazil is convoluted, and only one species of ''Valgipes'', ''V. bucklandi'', is recognised today, named in honour of William Buckland. Based on the remains of 23 individuals discovered in Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, in 1846 Peter Wilhelm Lund described two Brazilian scelidotheriids, ''Scelidotherium owenii'' and ''Scelidotherium bucklandi'', while Winge (1915) named them as ''Scelidotherium magnum'' and '' Catonyx giganteus''. In 1874, Paul Gervais erected the genus ''Valgipes'' for a different species, ''V. deformis'', which he based on a calcaneum bone which he classified as scelidotheriid. Based on c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scelidodon
''Scelidodon'' is an extinct genus of South American ground sloths. Its remains have been found in the Yupoí and Uspara Formations of Argentina, the Ulloma, Umala, Ñuapua and Tarija Formations of Bolivia, in Brazil, in Chile and in Peru.''Scelidodon'' at Fossilworks.org The youngest fossils have been dated to as recently as 9000 B.P. 
Description ''Scelidodon'' was one of the last of the ground sloths and was one of the largest scelidotheriids, with ''S. chiliense ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scelidotherium
''Scelidotherium'' is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Scelidotheriidae, endemic to South America during the Late Pleistocene epoch. It lived from 780,000 to 11,000 years ago, existing for approximately . Description It is characterized by an elongated, superficially anteater-like head. In fossil distribution, it is known from Argentina ( Luján and Arroyo Seco Formations), Bolivia (Tarija Formation), Peru ( San Sebastián Formation), Panama, Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador. In his journal of ''The Voyage of the Beagle'', Charles Darwin reports the finding of a nearly perfect fossil ''Scelidotherium'' in Punta Alta while travelling overland from Bahía Blanca to Buenos Aires in 1832. He allied it to the ''Megatherium ''Megatherium'' ( ; from Greek () 'great' + () 'beast') is an extinct genus of ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Early Pliocene through the end of the Pleistocene. It is best known for the elephant-sized type species ' . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neonematherium
''Neonematherium'' is an extinct genus of scelidotheriid ground sloths that lived in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia during the Early to Late Miocene. Fossils have been found in the Honda Group of Colombia, and the Río Frías Formation of Chile. Taxonomy ''Neonematherium'' is a member of the Scelidotheriidae, a family of ground sloths known from the Oligocene, Miocene Pliocene, Pleistocene, and the Early Holocene epochs and are characterized by an elongated snout. Scelidotheres themselves part are usually placed as a subfamily of the Mylodontidae, although they are sometimes considered a separate family, Scelidotheriidae. Below is a phylogenetic tree of the Scelidotheriidae Scelidotheriidae is a family of extinct ground sloths within the order Pilosa, suborder Folivora and superfamily Mylodontoidea, related to the other extinct mylodontoid family, Mylodontidae, as well as to the living two-toed sloth family C ..., based on the work of Nieto ''et al''. 2021, showi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chubutherium
''Chubutherium'' is an extinct genus of ground sloth from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Chubut Province, Argentina. Description This species of ground sloth was assigned to the family Scelidotheriidae, which was subsequently demoted to subfamily Scelidotheriinae within Mylodontidae, then elevated back to full family status. It is related to the Pleistocene genus, ''Scelidotherium''. It possessed but a few molars, like many other sloths. Only a few specimens have been found in Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g .... Little material is found of the genus and the taxonomic position is still debated.Boilini, 2012, p.162 References Bibliography * Further reading * (1962) Un nuevo (Xenarthra) del Terciario de Patagonia, ''Chubutherium fer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ground Sloth
Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. The term is used to refer to all extinct sloths because of the large size of the earliest forms discovered, compared to existing tree sloths. The Caribbean ground sloths, the most recent survivors, lived in the Antilles, possibly until 1550 BCE. However, radiocarbon dating suggests an age of between 2819 and 2660 BCE for the last occurrence of ''Megalocnus'' in Cuba. Ground sloths had been extinct on the mainland of North and South America for 10,000 years or more. They survived 5,000–6,000 years longer in the Caribbean than on the American mainland, which correlates with the later colonization of this area by humans. Much ground sloth evolution took place during the late Paleogene and Neogene of South America, while the continent was isolated. At their earliest appearance in the fossil record, the ground sloths were already distinct at the family level. The presence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scelidotherium Leptocephalum
''Scelidotherium'' is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Scelidotheriidae, endemic to South America during the Late Pleistocene epoch. It lived from 780,000 to 11,000 years ago, existing for approximately . Description It is characterized by an elongated, superficially anteater-like head. In fossil distribution, it is known from Argentina ( Luján and Arroyo Seco Formations), Bolivia (Tarija Formation), Peru ( San Sebastián Formation), Panama, Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador. In his journal of ''The Voyage of the Beagle'', Charles Darwin reports the finding of a nearly perfect fossil ''Scelidotherium'' in Punta Alta while travelling overland from Bahía Blanca to Buenos Aires in 1832. He allied it to the ''Megatherium ''Megatherium'' ( ; from Greek () 'great' + () 'beast') is an extinct genus of ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Early Pliocene through the end of the Pleistocene. It is best known for the elephant-sized type species ' ...' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analcitherium
''Analcitherium'' is an extinct genus of scelidotheriid sloth that lived during the Early Miocene in what is now Argentina. Fossils have been found in the Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina. Taxonomy '' Analcitherium'' was first named by Florentino Ameghino in 1891 based on fossils found in Argentina, dating to the Early Miocene. Originally thought to belong to a juvenile '' Nematherium'', it is now usually considered to be a distinct genus. ''Analcitherium'' is a member of the Scelidotheriidae, a group of terrestrial sloths known from the Oligocene and Pleistocene that a characterized by an elongated snout. Although scelidotheriids are usually placed as a subfamily of the Mylodontidae, they are sometimes considered to be a separate family, Scelidotheriidae Scelidotheriidae is a family of extinct ground sloths within the order Pilosa, suborder Folivora and superfamily Mylodontoidea, related to the other extinct mylodontoid family, Mylodontidae, as well as to the living ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proscelidodon
''Proscelidodon'' is an extinct genus of ground sloths in the family Scelidotheriidae. It lived during the Miocene and Pliocene of what is now Argentina and Bolivia. The genus was described in 1935. Taxonomy During the Quaternary the taxonomic diversification of the Scelidotheriidae took place, with four species belonging to the genera '' Scelidodon'', ''Catonyx'', and ''Scelidotherium''; the pre-quaternary Scelidotheriidae are rare. The discovery of an almost complete maxilla of ''Proscelidodon'' from the Maimará Formation (late Miocene), Jujuy province, provides new data on the plesiomorphic condition of the clade, the biogeographical history of the group during the Mio–Pliocene, and on the Maimará faunal assemblage. In addition, fossils assigned to ''Proscelidodon'' have also been found in the Cerro Azul Formation The Cerro Azul Formation ( es, Formación Cerro Azul), in the Buenos Aires Province also described as Epecuén Formation, is a geological formation of Late Mio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mylodon
''Mylodon'' is a genus of extinct ground sloth belonging to the family Mylodontidae, known from the region of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina in southern South America. With a total length of 3 to 4 m, it is one of the best-known and largest representatives of the group. The oldest finds probably date to the Lower Pleistocene; however, most of the fossil remains date from the Upper Pleistocene period. One of the most important sites of this phase is the Cueva del Milodón in southern Chile. Shortly after, about 10,200 BP, ''Mylodon'' became extinct. At this point in time, it coexisted with the first human colonists in America. However, there is little evidence that it was hunted by humans. In ''Mylodons case, not only bones and teeth are known, but also various soft tissue and integumentary structures are preserved. The diet of ''Mylodon'' is known in great detail due to fossilized faeces. Its skull is greatly elongated and, compared to other large mylodontids, is narrower, posse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lestodon
''Lestodon'' is an extinct genus of megafaunal ground sloth from South America during the Pliocene to Pleistocene periods. Its fossil remains have been found in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Brazil. Measuring approximately from snout to tail tip, it is estimated to have weighed . It was a herbivore and primarily fed on the grasses on the South American plains and is thought to perhaps have used its semi-bipedal stance to obtain foliage from trees. ''Lestodon'' is placed as member of the Mylodontidae as indicated by the lobed form of the last tooth in the dentition. Etymology The genus name ''Lestodon'' derives from the Greek for "robber tooth". Evolutionary adaptations Cranial The skeleton morphologically reflects its evolutionary history as well as its daily activities. At the caudal end, the sloth’s head connects to its neck with a class one lever. The skull is two to three orders of magnitude larger than that of living species of sloth, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
