Giant Ground Sloth
Megatherium americanum
Conservation Status
Data DeficientMammalia · Pilosa · Megatheriidae
About
Megatherium is an extinct genus of ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Early Pliocene through the end of the Late Pleistocene. It is best known for the elephant-sized type species Megatherium americanum, commonly called the giant ground sloth or the megathere. It was primarily known from the Pampas, but ranged southwards to northernmost Patagonia and northwards to southern Bolivia during the late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. Various other species belonging to the subgenus Pseudomegatherium and ranging from sizes comparable to M. americanum down to considerably smaller, are known from the Andean region.
Fun Fact
Phylogeny of Megatheriinae after Pujos, 2006: Megatherium americanum first appears in the fossil record during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene, from around 400,000 years ago.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Found in low elevation areas to the east of the Andes mountains in northern Patagonia, the Pampas and adjacent areas in what is now northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern Bolivia and Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.
Diet
Omnivore
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance