Ocnotherium
| Ocnotherium Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Family: | †Mylodontidae |
| Subfamily: | †Mylodontinae |
| Genus: | †Ocnotherium Lund, 1842 |
| Type species | |
| Ocnotherium giganteum (Lund, 1839)
| |
Ocnotherium is an extinct genus of ground sloth known from the Late Pleistocene of Brazil, belonging to the family Mylodontidae, containing the species Ocnotherium giganteum. It is a member of the subfamily Mylodontinae, but its relationship to other members of that subfamily are uncertain.[1] It had osteoderms embedded within its skin, like some other mylodontids.[2]
Palaeobiology
O. giganteum was likely a mixed feeder,[3] and may have been adapted to digging.[4]
Palaeopathology
A number of O. giganteum individuals are known to exhibit pathologies, including Schmorl's node in the vertebrae, osteochondritis dissecans in the phalanges, and osteoarthritis in the humerus. Many specimens also exhibit spondyloarthropathy and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease.[5]
References
- ^ Boscaini, Alberto; Pujos, François; Gaudin, Timothy J. (November 2019). "A reappraisal of the phylogeny of Mylodontidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) and the divergence of mylodontine and lestodontine sloths". Zoologica Scripta. 48 (6): 691–710. doi:10.1111/zsc.12376. ISSN 0300-3256. S2CID 201194980.
- ^ Brambilla, Luciano; Toledo, Marcelo Javier; Haro, José Augusto; Aguilar, José Luis (November 2019). "New osteoderm morphotype (Xenarthra, Mylodontidae) from the middle Pleistocene of Argentina". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 95 102298. Bibcode:2019JSAES..9502298B. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102298. S2CID 201317034.
- ^ Dantas, Mário A.T.; Santos, Adaiana M.A. (August 2022). "Inferring the paleoecology of the Late Pleistocene giant ground sloths from the Brazilian Intertropical Region". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 117 103899. Bibcode:2022JSAES.11703899D. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103899.
- ^ Santos, Adaiana Marta Andrade; Mcdonald, H. Gregory; Dantas, Mário André Trindade (22 May 2023). "Inferences of the ecological habits of extinct giant sloths from the Brazilian Intertropical Region". Journal of Quaternary Science. doi:10.1002/jqs.3534. ISSN 0267-8179. S2CID 258873849.
- ^ Barbosa, Fernando H. de S.; Porpino, Kleberson de O.; Araújo-Júnior, Hermínio I. de; Bergqvist, Lilian P.; Rothschild, Bruce M. (28 May 2019). "Articular and vertebral lesions in the Pleistocene sloths (Xenarthra, Folivora) from the Brazilian Intertropical Region". Historical Biology. 31 (5): 544–558. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1376191. ISSN 0891-2963. Retrieved 5 November 2025 – via Taylor and Francis Online.