Scelidodonis an extinctgenusof South Americanground sloths.Its remains have been found in theYupoíandUspara FormationsofArgentina,theUlloma,Umala,ÑuapuaandTarija FormationsofBolivia,inBrazil,inChileand inPeru.[1]The youngest fossils have been dated to as recently as 9000 B.P.[2]
| Scelidodon | |
|---|---|
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| Skeletal mount inMuseo de Historia Natural de Lima | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Family: | †Scelidotheriidae |
| Genus: | †Scelidodon Ameghino,1881 |
| Type species | |
| †Scelidodon copei Ameghino, 1881
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| Other species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editScelidodonwas one of the last of the ground sloths and was one of the largest scelidotheriids, withS. chiliensereaching up to 4.7 meters.[3]Its body weight has been estimated at over 1500 kg.[4]Scelidodonwas widely distributed in temperate grassland environments and due to its contemporarymegatheriinesbeing high browsers, this suggests thatScelidodonwas a grazer[5]like its close relative,Scelidotherium.[6]
Discovery
editThe first remains ofScelidodonwere collected in the 1850s in Tarija Valley,Boliviaand consisted of a skull and mandible (MNHN TAR 1260).[3]It wasn't until 1880 thatPaul GervaisandFlorentino Ameghinodescribed the remains asScelidotherium tarijarensis[3].In the same paper,Scelidotherium capelliniwas described based on a left hemimandible (MNHNPAM 231) with a referred skull (MACN994), the fossils were found at ‘‘Toscas del Rio de la Plata’’ inArgentina.The genusScelidodonwas erected in 1881 with the type species,Scelidodon copei,name by Ameghino.[3]The type specimen (MACN A-1158) ofS. copeicomes fromEnsenadansediments inMercedes, Buenos Airesprovince and consists of a left maxilla.[3]S. tarijarensisandS. capelliniwere transferred toScelidodonin 1889 by Ameghino.[3]S. chiliensewas named based on a skull (BMNH M 2819) from the late Pleistocene ofChilebyRichard Lydekkerin 1886. Since the 19th century, much material ofScelidodonhas been found from 5 countries and is one of the most well preserved scelidotheres.[3][6]
References
edit- ^ScelidodonatFossilworks.org
- ^Turvey, Sam (2009).Holocene extinctions.Oxford University Press.pp. 20–33, 42–50, 352.ISBN978-0-19-953509-5.
- ^abcdefgMiño-Boilini, Á. R., & Carlini, A. A. (2009).The Scelidotheriinae Ameghino, 1904 (Phyllophaga, Xenarthra) from the Ensenadan–Lujanian Stage/Ages (Early Pleistocene to Early-Middle Pleistocene–Early Holocene) of Argentina.Quaternary International,210(1-2), 93–101.
- ^Toledo, N.; Bargo, M. S.; Vizcaíno, S. F.; De Iuliis, G.; Pujos, F. (2017)."Evolution of body size in anteaters and sloths (Xenarthra, Pilosa): phylogeny, metabolism, diet and substrate preferences".Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.106(4): 289–301.Bibcode:2015EESTR.106..289T.doi:10.1017/S1755691016000177.hdl:11336/56403.S2CID90400372.
- ^Miño-Boilini, A. R., Carlini, A. A., Chiesa, J. O., Lucero, N. P., & Zurita, A. E. (2009).First record of Scelidodon chiliense (Lydekker)(Phyllophaga, Scelidotheriinae) from the Lujanian stage (late Pleistocene-early Holocene) of Argentina.[dead link]Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie-Abhandlungen,253,373–381.
- ^abGuérin, Claude; Faure, Martine (January 2004)."Scelidodon piauiense nov. sp., nouveau Mylodontidae Scelidotheriinae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) du Quaternaire de la région du parc national Serra da Capivara (Piauí, Brésil)".Comptes Rendus Palevol(in French).3(1): 35–42.Bibcode:2004CRPal...3...35G.doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2003.10.007.