Groundsloth 1 1.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Ground sloth, Lestodon armatus South American giant, Plaster cast of specimen Museum of Comparative Zoology VPRA-4476 On display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History Cenozoic Mammals The last giant sloths probably lived about 10,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene period. These plant-eating creatures rivaled elephants in size! Some stood 20 feet (6 m) tall and weighed several tons. Ground sloths originated in South America and spread northward by drifting on trees and debris to the West Indies and by migrating over the Central American land bridge to North America. Unlike modern sloths, which spend most of their time in trees, ground sloths spent all of their time on the ground. Ground sloths were herbivores with very large claws and relatively small, blunt teeth, which they probably used for browsing on trees and shrubs. The shape of their hip bones indicates that they could stand up on their hind legs. This would have allowed them to reach high up into trees for the best leaves and twigs. Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) is a partnership of four Harvard museums that present captivating programming for all ages and a dynamic array of permanent and changing exhibits. HMSC invites you to connect with Harvard Universityʼs distinctive collections and vital research on human civilizations, biodiversity, and the history of Earth and science. Share your creations with us on social media #ColorOurCollections and #HMSCconnects Continue exploring our museums: HMSC connects! Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Harvard Museum of Natural History Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology Copyright © 2020 The President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Palaeoproteomics Resolves Sloth Relationships
ARTICLES https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0909-z Palaeoproteomics resolves sloth relationships Samantha Presslee1,2,3,24, Graham J. Slater4,24, François Pujos5, Analía M. Forasiepi5, Roman Fischer 6, Kelly Molloy7, Meaghan Mackie3,8, Jesper V. Olsen 8, Alejandro Kramarz9, Matías Taglioretti10, Fernando Scaglia10, Maximiliano Lezcano11, José Luis Lanata 11, John Southon12, Robert Feranec13, Jonathan Bloch14, Adam Hajduk15, Fabiana M. Martin16, Rodolfo Salas Gismondi 17, Marcelo Reguero18, Christian de Muizon19, Alex Greenwood20,21, Brian T. Chait 7, Kirsty Penkman22, Matthew Collins3,23 and Ross D. E. MacPhee2* The living tree sloths Choloepus and Bradypus are the only remaining members of Folivora, a major xenarthran radiation that occupied a wide range of habitats in many parts of the western hemisphere during the Cenozoic, including both continents and the West Indies. Ancient DNA evidence has played only a minor role in folivoran systematics, as most sloths lived in places not conducive to genomic preservation. Here we utilize collagen sequence information, both separately and in combination with published mitochondrial DNA evidence, to assess the relationships of tree sloths and their extinct relatives. Results from phylo- genetic analysis of these datasets differ substantially from morphology-based concepts: Choloepus groups with Mylodontidae, not Megalonychidae; Bradypus and Megalonyx pair together as megatherioids, while monophyletic Antillean sloths may be sister to all other folivorans. Divergence estimates are consistent with fossil evidence for mid-Cenozoic presence of sloths in the West Indies and an early Miocene radiation in South America. he sloths (Xenarthra, Folivora), nowadays a taxonomically consensus8–10,16,17 in morphology-based phylogenetic treatments is narrow (six species in two genera) component of the fauna of to place the three-toed sloth as sister to all other folivorans (Fig.
[Show full text]
Mammalia, Xenarthra, Phyllophaga)
Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Dimorphism in Quaternary Scelidotheriinae (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Phyllophaga) Ángel R. Miño-Boilini and Alfredo E. Zurita ABSTRACT The contributions concerning possible cases of sexual dimorphisms in fossil and living sloths are scarce. Until now, studies in fossil ground sloth sexual dimorphism have been limited to the subfamilies Megatheriinae (Eremotherium) and Mylodontinae (Paramylodon) from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of South America and North Amer- ica. Scelidotheriinae constitutes an endemic lineage of ground sloths from South American, with a biochron age ranging the lapse “Friasian”-Lujanian SALMAs (middle Miocene-early Holocene). An integral phylogenetic and taxonomic revision of the Qua- ternary Scelidotheriinae shows that it is possible to recognize three genera and six species: Scelidotherium Owen (Scelidotherium leptocephalum and S. bravardi), Val- gipes Gervais (Valgipes bucklandi), and Catonyx Ameghino (Catonyx cuvieri, C. tari- jensis, and C. chiliensis). One of the most noticeable aspects in some specimens analyzed (n= 47) was the presence of two morphtypes in each species at the level of the dorsal crests of the skull (parasagittal crests and sagittal crest) and at the level of the distal-most region of the mandible (only in C. tarijensis). In all but two species (S. leptocephalum and S. bravardi) the two types involve the absence and presence of a sagittal crest. We suggest that specimens with sagittal crest are males, and specimens lacking sagittal crest are females. This represents the third reported ground sloth clade with evidence of sexual dimorphism of the skull and mandible. Ángel R. Miño-Boilini. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL-CONICET) y Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste.
[Show full text]
Co-Occurrence of Mylodontid Sloths and Insights on Their Potential Distributions During the Late Pleistocene
Quaternary Research 85 (2016) 66–74 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/yqres Co-occurrence of mylodontid sloths and insights on their potential distributions during the late Pleistocene Luciano Varela ⁎,RichardA.Fariña Sección Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay article info abstract Article history: Species distribution models (SDMs) for the last interglacial (LIG), the global last glacial maximum (LGM) and the Received 10 March 2015 Holocene climatic optimum (HCO) were generated for three extinct South American Pleistocene mylodontid Available online 20 January 2016 giant sloths, Glossotherium robustum, Lestodon armatus and Mylodon darwinii. They are recorded co-occurring in some localities including Arroyo del Vizcaíno site (AdV) in Uruguay. Co-occurrence records were studied Keywords: based on the overlap of their generated areas of potential distributions, and compared with the available Ground sloths Glossotherium biome reconstructions of South America during the LGM to analyze their distribution patterns, ecological require- Lestodon ments and possible interactions between them. Our results suggest that these sloths could have co-existed main- Mylodon ly in the Chaco-Paraná Basin and the plains in the Río de la Plata area. Areas of high suitability were observed for Xenarthra submerged parts of the continental shelf that were exposed during the LGM showing an overall increase in po- Species distribution models tential habitat compared to the LIG and HCO. This suggests that there was a drastic reduction in total available Ecological niche modeling areas of preferred habitat at the end of the Pleistocene. The co-occurrence of these sloths at the AdV site suggests Paleogeography the presence of vegetation indicative of mainly open, cold to temperate habitats but with mixed patches typical of Last glacial maximum humid climates.
[Show full text]
Systematic and Palaeobiological Implications of Postcranial Morphology in the Diprotodontidae (Marsupialia)
Systematic and palaeobiological implications of postcranial morphology in the Diprotodontidae (Marsupialia) Aaron B. Camens School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Discipline of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology The University of Adelaide South Australia A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide February 2010 II Declaration This work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution to Aaron Camens and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to this copy of my thesis when deposited in the University Library, being made available for loan and photocopying, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. The author acknowledges that copyright of published works contained within this thesis (as listed below) resides with the copyright holder(s) of those works. I also give permission for the digital version of my thesis to be made available on the web, via the University’s digital research repository, the Library catalogue, the Australasian Digital Theses Program (ADTP) and also through web search engines, unless permission has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time. Publications in this thesis include: Camens, A. B. and Wells, R.T. 2009. Diprotodontid footprints from the Pliocene of Central Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29: 863-869. Copyright held by Taylor and Francis. Camens, A. B. and Wells, R.T.
[Show full text]
Fossils of Scelidotheriinae Ameghino, 1904 (Xenarthra, Pilosa) in the Pleistocene Deposits of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
6(1):44-52, jan/jun 2010 © Copyright 2010 by Unisinos - doi: 10.4013/gaea.2010.61.05 Fossils of Scelidotheriinae Ameghino, 1904 (Xenarthra, Pilosa) in the Pleistocene deposits of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Renato P. Lopes Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Instituto de Oceanograﬁ a, Setor de Paleontologia, Av. Itália, km 8, 96201-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil. [email protected] Jamil C. Pereira Museu Coronel Tancredo Fernandes de Melo, Rua Barão do Rio Branco, 467, 96230-000, Santa Vitória do Palmar, RS, Brasil. [email protected] ABSTRACT Xenarthra (Mylodontidae) is a mammal group which fossil record is conspicuous in Southern Brazil, and includes until now the Mylodontinae, Mylo- don, Glossotherium and Lestodon and the Scelidotheriinae Catonyx. Here it is presented new fossils of Scelidotheriines, represented by a fragment of a dentary, plus other four isolated teeth. A detailed description of the only other record of scelidotheriinae in Rio Grande do Sul, consisting in an almost complete right dentary, is also presented. The lacking of additional and more complete fossils complicates a more precise taxonomic insertion. Nevertheless, the specimens exhibit features that allow their recognition as Catonyx. The fossils are tentatively assigned to C. cuvieri, based on the assumption that it is the only valid scelidotheriine recognized so far for southern Brazil. Key words: Xenarthra, Pilosa, Scelidotheriinae, Catonyx sp., Pleistocene, Brazil. RESUMO Fósseis de Scelidotheriinae Ameghino, 1904 (Xenarthra, Pilosa) em depósitos pleistocênicos do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O registro fóssil da família Mylodontidae no sul do Brasil tem se mostrado abundante e inclui formas de três gêneros da subfamília Mylodontinae, Mylodon, Glossotherium e Lestodon e o Scelidotheriinae Catonyx.
[Show full text]
Evolution of Body Size in Anteaters and Sloths (Xenarthra, Pilosa): Phylogeny, Metabolism, Diet and Substrate Preferences N
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 106, 289–301, 2017 Evolution of body size in anteaters and sloths (Xenarthra, Pilosa): phylogeny, metabolism, diet and substrate preferences N. Toledo1,2, M.S. Bargo2,3, S.F. Vizcaıńo1,2, G. De Iuliis4 and F. Pujos5 1 CONICET – La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. Email: [email protected] 2 Divisioń Paleontologıá Vertebrados, Unidades de Investigacioń Anexo Museo FCNyM-UNLP, Av. 60 y 122, 1900, La Plata, Argentina. 3 Comisioń de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto M5S 3G5, Ontario, Canada; Section of Palaeobiology, Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto M5S 2C6, Ontario, Canada. 5 IANIGLA,CCT-CONICET-Mendoza,Av.RuizLeals/n,ParqueGral.SanMartıń, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina. ABSTRACT: Pilosa include anteaters (Vermilingua) and sloths (Folivora). Modern tree sloths are represented by two genera, Bradypus and Choloepus (both around 4–6 kg), whereas the fossil record is very diverse, with approximately 90 genera ranging in age from the Oligocene to the early Holocene. Fossil sloths include four main clades, Megalonychidae, Megatheriidae, Nothrotheriidae, and Mylo- dontidae, ranging in size from tens of kilograms to several tons. Modern Vermilingua are represented by three genera, Cyclopes, Tamandua and Myrmecophaga, with a size range from 0.25 kg to about 30 kg, and their fossil record is scarce and fragmentary. The dependence of the body size on phylo- genetic pattern of Pilosa is analysed here, according to current cladistic hypotheses.
[Show full text]
Description of the Stylohyal Bone of a Giant Sloth (Lestodon Armatus)
Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Description of the stylohyal bone of a giant sloth (Lestodon armatus) P. Sebastián Tambusso, H. Gregory McDonald, and Richard A. Fariña ABSTRACT The hyoid apparatus in fossil Xenarthrans is rarely preserved. Its largest bone, the stylohyal, is the most frequently found as an isolated element. It is known for some species of Pleistocene ground sloths (Megalonyx jeffersonii, Megatherium america- num, Paramylodon harlani, Nothrotheriops shastensis, Glossotherium robustum and Scelidotherium leptocephalum) but not for the largest mylodontid Lestodon armatus. Here we describe a right stylohyal found in the late Pleistocene megafaunal bonebed of the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site, Uruguay, as two perfectly matched pieces that were within a few centimeters of each other. A small notch, possibly a conchoidal flaked per- imortem fracture, is observed in the lateral face. The specimen, whose general form is a sinusoid cylinder with the proximal end expanded and compressed, must have belonged to a juvenile individual, since it lacks both the distal and proximal surfaces that articulate with the skull and the epihyal, respectively. Instead, both ends show an irregular surface as those seen in the contact with the growth cartilage. Additionally, its maximum length is 105 mm, larger than the equivalent part of the stylohyal of adult Glossotherium. At the expanded proximal end that articulates with the skull the large fossa found in Glossotherium and Scelidotherium cannot be observed, which could be due to a taxonomic difference, to the stage of growth or both of them. The bone shows marks, several interpreted as caused by trampling and at least one with features as those left by human tools.
[Show full text]
Dilson Vargas Peixoto
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA MARIA CENTRO DE CIÊNCIAS NATURAIS E EXATAS PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM BIODIVERSIDADE ANIMAL Dilson Vargas Peixoto MORFOLOGIA PÓS-CRANIANA DE UM NOVO ESPÉCIME DE LESTODON ARMATUS GERVAIS, 1855 (XENARTHRA, MYLODONTIDAE) DO QUATERNÁRIO DO SUL DO BRASIL Santa Maria, RS 2019 Dilson Vargas Peixoto MORFOLOGIA PÓS-CRANIANA DE UM NOVO ESPÉCIME DE LESTODON ARMATUS GERVAIS, 1855 (XENARTHRA, MYLODONTIDAE) DO QUATERNÁRIO DO SUL DO BRASIL Dissertação apresentada ao Curso de Pós- Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM, RS), como requisito parcial para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Biodiversidade Animal. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Leonardo Kerber Santa Maria, RS 2019 Dilson Vargas Peixoto MORFOLOGIA PÓS-CRANIANA DE UM NOVO ESPÉCIME DE LESTODON ARMATUS GERVAIS, 1855 (XENARTHRA, MYLODONTIDAE) DO QUATERNÁRIO DO SUL DO BRASIL Dissertação apresentada ao Curso de Pós- Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM, RS), como requisito parcial para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Biodiversidade Animal. Aprovado em 26 de fevereiro de 2019: Santa Maria, RS 2019 DEDICATÓRIA Dedico à toda Natureza da América do Sul, para que seja mais valorizada e conhecida. Também dedico ao meu Ego, para que sossegue; à ansiedade, que me acompanhou durante esses dois anos; ao desânimo, que andou de mãos dadas comigo nos últimos momentos da pesquisa. AGRADECIMENTOS Primeiramente agradeço à Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), projeto nº 001, pelo financiamento da pesquisa. Por meu orientador Leonardo Kerber e coorientador Átila A. S. da Rosa pela dedicação e grande apoio que me deram (agradeço do fundo do coração), bem como pela parceria e amizade.
[Show full text]
BULLETIN of the Florida Museum of Natural History
BULLETIN of the Florida Museum of Natural History ISOLATED PETROSAL OF THE EXTINCT SLOTH GLOSSOTHERIUM TROPICORUM (XENARTHRA, FOLIVORA, MYLODONTIDAE) FROM THE ISLAND OF TRINIDAD Timothy J. Gaudin and Joseph Broome Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 51–64 September 2, 2021 ISSN 2373-9991 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GAINESVILLE The FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY is Florida’s state museum of natural history, dedicated to understanding, preserving, and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage. The BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY is an on-line, open-ac- cess, peer-reviewed journal that publishes results of original research in zoology, botany, paleontology, archaeology, and museum science. New issues of the Bulletin are published at irregular intervals, and volumes are not necessarily completed in any one year. Volumes contain between 150 and 300 pages, sometimes more. The number of papers contained in each volume varies, depending upon the number of pages in each paper, but four numbers is the current standard. Multi-author issues of related papers have been published together, and inquiries about putting together such issues are welcomed. Address all inqui- ries to the Bulletin Committee. Richard C. Hulbert Jr., Editor for this issue Bulletin Committee Jonathan I. Bloch, Ex offcio Member Richard C. Hulbert Jr. Michelle J. LeFebvre Jacqueline Miller Roger W. Portell, Treasurer David W. Steadman ISSN: 2373-9991 Copyright © 2021 by the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. All rights reserved. Text, images and other media are for nonproft, educational, and personal use of students, scholars, and the public. Any commercial use or republication by printed or electronic media is strictly prohibited without written permission of the museum.
[Show full text]
The Ground Sloth Megatherium Americanum: Skull Shape, Bite Forces, and Diet
The ground sloth Megatherium americanum: Skull shape, bite forces, and diet M. SUSANA BARGO Bargo, M.S. 2001. The ground sloth Megatherium americanum: Skull shape, bite forces, and diet. -Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 46,2, 173-192. Megatherium americanum (late Pleistocene of South America) has traditionally been re- garded a herbivore, but its dietary habits have not been considered in terms of a morpho- functional analysis. This study describes and analyses the morphology of the masticatory apparatus in order to interpret the jaw mechanics of M. americanum, and thus to infer its diet and behaviour. The results are compared with those for the mylodontid Glosso- therium robustum and the extant sloth Bradypus variegatus. The areas of origin and in- sertion of the masticatory musculature were reconstructed, and the moment arms gener- ated by this musculature were estimated so that the mechanics of the feeding apparatus might be described. These analyses indicate that M. americanum was well adapted for strong and mainly vertical biting. The teeth are extremely hypsodont and bilophodont, and the sagittal section.of each loph is triangular with a sharp edge. This suggests that the teeth were used mainly for cutting, rather than grinding, and that hard and fibrous food was not the main dietary component. The diet of M. americanum merits more rigorous analysis, but the evidence provided here indicates that it probably had a browsing diet in open habitats, but also could have fed on moderate to soft tough food. Key words : Xenarthra, Tardigrada, Megatherium, biomechanics, mastication, diet. M. Susana Bargo [msbargo @museofcnym.unlp.edu.ar], Departamento CientljCico Paleontologia de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
[Show full text]
Hypsodonty in Pleistocene Ground Sloths
Hypsodonty in Pleistocene ground sloths M. SUSANA BARGO, GERARDO DE IULIIS, and SERGIO F. VIZCAÍNO Bargo, M.S., De Iuliis, G., and Vizcaíno, S.F. 2006. Hypsodonty in Pleistocene ground sloths. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51 (1): 53–61. Although living sloths (Xenarthra, Tardigrada) are represented by only two genera, their fossil relatives form a large and diverse group. The evolution of hypsodonty, the crown height of a tooth, has traditionally been viewed as a response to di− etary shifts toward abrasive vegetation. But recent work indicates that hypsodonty is also due to the higher prevalence of grit and dust in more open environments. The teeth of sloths are both high−crowned and open−rooted, or hypselodont, but distinctions between the selective factors acting to produce differing degrees of hypsodonty have not been rigorously con− sidered. A comparative analysis of hypsodonty was performed in eleven species of Pleistocene sloths. It suggests that dif− ferences in hypsodonty may be explained by dietary preferences, habitat and habits. Among mylodontids, morphologic and biomechanical analyses indicate that hypsodonty was unlikely to be due solely to feeding behavior, such as grazing. Some mylodontids (e.g., Scelidotherium leptocephalum, Lestodon armatus, Glossotherium robustum, Mylodon darwini) were capable diggers that likely dug for food, and ingestion of abrasive soil particles probably played a considerable role in shaping their dental characteristics. Increased hypsodonty over time in Paramylodon harlani, however, is apparently due to a change in habitat from closed to more open environments. Geographical distributions of the megatheriids Eremotherium and Megatherium indicate differing habitats as possible factors in hypsodonty differences.
[Show full text]
Dated Evidence of the Interaction Between Humans and Megafauna in the Late Pleistocene of Sergipe State, Northeastern Brazil
Quaternary International 352 (2014) 197e199 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint Dated evidence of the interaction between humans and megafauna in the late Pleistocene of Sergipe state, northeastern Brazil * Mario Andre Trindade Dantas a, , Daivisson Batista Santos b, Alexandre Liparini c, Alberico Nogueira de Queiroz d, Olivia Alexandre de Carvalho d, Erika Sousa Vieira de Castro c, Alexander Cherkinsky e a Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia e Campus Anísio Teixeira, Vitoria da Conquista, BA, Brazil b Archaios Logos, Aracaju, SE, Brazil c Laboratorio de Paleontologia, Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biologicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sao~ Cristovao,~ SE, Brazil d Laboratorio de Bioarqueologia, Núcleo de Arqueologia, Campus de Laranjeiras, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Brazil e Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA article info abstract Article history: We present a radiocarbon date (12,742e12,562 cal BP) for an Eremotherium laurillardi tooth found in Available online 13 October 2014 Sergipe state, northeastern Brazil, which shows anthropogenic marks. Our result provides additional information and reinforces the hypothesis that humans was present in South America earlier than Keywords: accepted currently, and interacted with megafauna during the late Pleistocene in this region. 14 C dating © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. Ground sloth Humanemegafauna interaction Late Pleistocene Sergipe Northeastern Brazil 1. Introduction 2. Material and methods Recently, Dantas et al. (2012) described a modified tooth of an AsampleofEremotherium laurilardi tooth LPUFS 4992 (Fig. 1) Eremotherium laurillardi (Lund, 1842) (giant ground sloth) as found in the Sao~ Jose farm, Poço Redondo, Sergipe (Dantas et al., 2012) reflecting human action found in Sergipe state, northeastern Brazil.
[Show full text]