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The Ground Sloths (Pilosa) of South Carolina

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The Ground Sloths (Pilosa) of South Carolina Fields et al., Ground Sloths PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 9(3) (2012) THE GROUND SLOTHS (PILOSA) OF SOUTH CAROLINA Steven E. Fields*, H. Gregory McDonald**, James L. Knight#, Albert E. Sanders## * Corresponding author: Culture and Heritage Museums, 4621 Mount Gallant Rd, Rock Hill, South Carolina 29732, stevefi [email protected] ** Park Museum Management Program, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 150, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525, [email protected] # South Carolina State Museum, 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29202, [email protected] ## The Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403, [email protected] Steven E. Fields, H. Gregory McDonald, James L. Knight & Albert E. Sandars. 2012. The Ground Sloths (Pilosa) of South Carolina. – Palarch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontol- ogy 9(3) (2012), 1-19. ISSN 1567-2158. 19 pages + 7 fi gures, 1 table. Keywords: ground sloths, South Carolina, Eremotherium, Megalonyx, Paramylodon ABSTRACT A summary of museum and literature records of ground sloths collected from South Caroli- na is presented. The ground sloth record in South Carolina consists of three genera, Eremo- theirum with two species, Megalonyx with three species and Paramylodon with one species. Three of these species, Eremotherium eomigrans and Megalonyx leptostomus from the Blan- can and Megalonyx wheatleyi from the Irvingtonian are new records for the state. An early Pliocene specimen of M. leptostomus is the earliest record of sloths from South Carolina. The fossil record of sloths in the state extends from the Pliocene (Blancan) through the Pleistoce- ne (Late Rancholabrean) and is confi ned to sedimentary deposits on the Coastal Plain. © PalArch Foundation 1 Fields et al., Ground Sloths PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 9(3) (2012) Introduction ferred to the genus Megatherium, a prominent The southeastern United States has long been form in the Pleistocene fauna of South America, recognized as a source of vertebrate fossils, most but North American megatheres are referable to Pleistocene fossils from the region having been the genus Eremotherium Spillman, 1948, (Cartel- found in Florida. Early publications contain nu- le & DeIuliis, 1995). Taxonomic revisions within merous records of Pleistocene material from that genus were reviewed by Sanders (2002: 28). South Carolina (Leidy, 1853; 1854; 1855; 1856; Leidy (1855) commented on two small tooth 1859; 1860; 1877; Hay, 1923; Allen, 1926). More fragments from the “shores of the Ashley River,” recent works (Ray, 1965; Ray et al., 1968; Roth Charleston County, in his discussion of Megath- & Laerm, 1980; Ray & Sanders, 1984; Bentley & erium mirable (= Eremotherium laurillardi) from Knight, 1994, 1998; Bentley et. al., 1994; McDon- Skiddaway Island, Georgia and also reported and ald et al., 1996; Sanders, 2002) have added many fi gured a fragmentary molariform tooth of My- additional Pleistocene vertebrate taxa to the fos- lodon harlani (= Paramylodon harlani) from the sil record of South Carolina. This paper supple- Ashley River (Leidy, 1855: 10, pl. 16, fi g. 21). Sub- ments published reports of pilosan taxa with sequently, Leidy (1859: 111, pl. 20, fi gs. 7-7b, 8, numerous new records from the state. A map of 8a) noted and fi gured a partial molariform tooth South Carolina with fossil localities is provided of Mylodon (= Paramylodon) harlani and a frag- in fi gure 1. ment of a tooth of Megatherium mirable (= Er- Fossil remains of ground sloths in the United emotherium laurillardi) from the “Post-Pleiocene States were fi rst reported by Thomas Jefferson [= Pleistocene] beds of the Ashley River.” Addi- (1799), and Harlan’s (1825) note of their occur- tional records of sloths from South Carolina were rence at Skiddaway Island, Georgia, is the ear- reported by Hay (1923), Allen (1926), Roth & liest published record from the southeastern Laerm (1980), and Sanders (2002). These reports United States. Sloth remains were fi rst reported indicate that ground sloths were relatively com- from South Carolina by Holmes (1848: 663), who mon components of the Blancan (early Pliocene- briefl y mentioned bones of “Megatherium” from early Pleistocene), Irvingtonian (early-middle the Charleston area. For many years giant ground Pleistocene), and Rancholabrean (late Pleisto- sloth specimens from North America were re- cene) faunas of South Carolina. Figure 1. South Carolina and ground sloth fossil localities: A) Map of United States showing location of South Carolina; B) Map of South Carolina showing physiographic provinces; C) Localities on the Coastal Plain of South Carolina where ground sloth fossils have been collected. Map by S. Fields. © PalArch Foundation 2 Fields et al., Ground Sloths PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 9(3) (2012) During the last few decades many fossils One potentially confusing situation re- have been collected by divers on the bottom quires clarifi cation. The reader will note that of various rivers on the Lower Coastal Plain for some specimens included in this paper of the state, most of the fossils having been Edisto Beach is noted as being in Charleston washed from their original stratigraphic ori- County, but other Edisto specimens are re- gin. Frequently consisting of reworked shark corded from Colleton County. That situation teeth, such specimens often are of compara- exists for two reasons. Historically, Edisto Is- tively little scientifi c value, but occasional land has been entirely in Charleston County, specimens of extreme signifi cance are found but in 1975 citizens of the Town of Edisto in the rivers. Examples include a complete Beach, which incorporates a small portion skull of the Pleistocene tapir Tapirus veroen- of the southernmost end of the island, voted sis (ChM PV4247), found at the bottom of the for annexation of the town into the adjoining Cooper River by a hobby diver (Ray & Sand- Colleton County. That area includes the beach ers, 1984) and a splendidly preserved skull in front of Edisto Island State Park, a prime of the giant Pleistocene beaver Castoroides place for collecting fossils. The Charleston leiseyorum (SCSM 75.33.1), also found at the Museum contains many specimens from the bottom of the Cooper River (Parmalee & Gra- beachfront along Folly Island, some dating ham, 2002). to a period before the founding of the town Fifty years ago, the stratigraphic origins and the State Park. Fossils can be found on of many specimens recovered from rivers in the beach in front of the State Park and for at the Lowcountry near Charleston would have least 3.75 miles north of the park to Edings- been diffi cult to determine, but a vigorous ville Beach, but museum records often give geological survey of 16 quadrangles between only “Edisto Beach” as the locality. Conse- Charleston and Moncks Corner and adjoining quently, it has been impossible to determine areas by R.E. Weems and E.M. Lemon Jr., of the which specimens may have been collected U.S. Geological Survey has resulted in eight within the present-day Colleton County highly detailed geologic maps that defi ne the boundary. For that reason, and because Edisto various stratigraphic units within this region specimens accessioned before the annexation with a high degree of accuracy (Weems & were in fact collected in Charleston County, Lemon, 1984). Consequently, it is now pos- that county name has been retained in the sible to place much more reliable dates on Charleston Museum records for many of its the fossils of the Charleston-Summerville- specimens from the Edisto Island beachfront. Moncks Corner region and adjoining areas The Pilosa of South Carolina comprises (see fi gure 2). For example, it is now clear three families with three genera and six spe- that the Tapirus skull from the Cooper River cies. Florida, with its long history of paleon- (and probably the Castoroides skull, as well) tological research, records seven taxa of late was eroded from the late Pleistocene Wando Pliocene-Pleistocene ground sloths (Hulbert, Formation, a marine unit that was deposited 2001). South Carolina, then, ranks second in widely over the area around Charleston dur- the southeastern United States with regard to ing Sangamonian time. A number of ChM ground sloth diversity (table 1). sloth specimens from the late 19th century The purpose of this paper is fi ve-fold: 1) and early part of the 20th century have little To provide evidence for the presence three or no locality data, but the fourth author’s taxa new to the sloth paleofauna of South knowledge of the history of the ChM collec- Carolina; 2) To update the taxonomic list of tions and the stratigraphy of the Charleston- ground sloths recorded from South Carolina; Summerville-Moncks Corner region, based 3) To compare the sloth faunal lists of various on the work of Weems & Lemon (1984; 1988) states in the southeastern United States; 4) To permits reasonably accurate judgments as to inventory sloth elements from South Caroli- the particular stratigraphic unit from which na that are cataloged in various museum col- those specimens likely came. Those speci- lections; 5) To demonstrate relative numbers mens are included in this paper, along with of taxa and sites of collection. numerous other previously unreported speci- mens from South Carolina. © PalArch Foundation 3 Fields et al., Ground Sloths PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 9(3) (2012) Figure 2A. Chronostratigraphic sequence of Pleistocene units on the Coastal Plain of South Carolina (after Bybell, 1990; Sanders et al., 2009, with modifi cations). Time divisions and calcareous nannoplankton (NN) zones follow Lourens et al. (2004). Boundary of Blancan/Irvingtonian Land Mammal Age follows Bell et al. (2004). Boundary of Irvingtonian/ Rancholabrean follows Sanders (2002) and Sanders, et al. (2009) based upon Bison astragalus from Ten Mile Hill Formation. © PalArch Foundation 4 Fields et al., Ground Sloths PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 9(3) (2012) Figure 2B. Chronostratigraphic sequence of Pliocene units on the Coastal Plain of South Carolina (after Campbell & Campbell, 1995).
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