Orophodontidae

Orophodontidae is a family of extinct ground sloths within the order Pilosa and suborder Folivora. The taxon is often disused with genus members reassigned.[1]

Orophodontidae Temporal range: Late Oligocene-Late Miocene (Deseadan-Huayquerian) ~23–7.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Pilosa
Suborder:	Folivora (partim)
Superfamily:	†Orophodontoidea
Binomial name
Orophodontidae Ameghino 1894
Genera
Orophodon Ameghino 1894 Octodontobradys Santos et al. 1993

This family is related to the other families of extinct ground sloths, Megatheriidae, Mylodontidae, Nothrotheriidae, and Scelidotheriidae. The only extant families of the suborder Folivora are Bradypodidae and Megalonychidae.

Taxonomy

The orophodontids constitute a rather small but quite distinct group. They are classified as a distinct mylodontan superfamily Orophodontoidea, the sister taxon to the Mylodontoidea. They were sloth-like but with bony armor.

• Family †Orophodontidae:
  • Genus Orophodon
  • Genus Octodontobradys
  • Genus Proplatyarthrus, reassigned to Megalonychidae
  • Genus Octodontotherium, reassigned to Mylodontidae
  • Genus Octomylodon, reassigned to Mylodontidae

References

1. Paleobiology Database: Orophodontidae.

Further reading

• Cuvier, G. (1796): Notice sur le squellette d'une très grande espèce de quadrupède inconnue jusqu'à présent, trouvé au Paraquay, et déposé au cabinet d'histoire naturelle de Madrid. Magasin encyopédique, ou Journal des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts (1): 303-310; (2): 227-228
• De Iuliis, G. & Cartelle, C. (1999): A new giant megatheriine ground sloth (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Megatheriidae) from the late Blancan to early Irvingtonian of Florida. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 127(4): 495-515
• Harrington, C.R. (1993): Yukon Beringia Interpretive Center - Jefferson's Ground Sloth. Retrieved 2008-JAN-24
• Hogan, C.M. (2008): Cueva del Milodon, Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 2008-APR-13
• Kurtén, Björn and Anderson, Elaine (1980): Pleistocene Mammals of North America. Columbia University Press, New York. ISBN 0-231-03733-3
• McKenna, Malcolm C. & Bell, Susan K. (1997): Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
• Nowak, R.M. (1999): Walker's Mammals of the World (Vol. 2). Johns Hopkins University Press, London
• White, J.L. (1993): Indicators of locomotor habits in Xenarthrans: Evidence for locomotor heterogeneity among fossil sloths. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 13(2): 230-242
• White, J.L.; MacPhee, R.D.E. (2001). "The sloths of the West Indies: a systematic and phylogenetic review". In Woods, C.A.; Sergile, F.E. (eds.). Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives. Boca Raton, London, New York, and Washington, D.C.: CRC Press. pp. 201–235. doi:10.1201/9781420039481-14. ISBN 978-0-8493-2001-9.
• Woodward, A.S. (1900): On some remains of Grypotherium (Neomylodon) listai and associated mammals from a cavern near Consuelo Cove, Last Hope Inlet. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1900(5): 64-79

External links

• Sloth World: An Online Sloth Bibliography
• Picture and information about a ground sloth skeleton on display at the University of Georgia's Science Library
• Academy of Natural Sciences ground sloth page
• Illinois State Museum ground sloth page
• Ground sloths at La Brea
• Eremotherium in Florida
• Have some ground sloths survived in Argentina?
• Ground sloths in general
• Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology Hemet, CA