Octodontotherium Explained

Octodontotherium is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Mylodontidae, endemic to South America during the Late Oligocene (Deseadan). It lived from 29 to 23 Mya, existing for approximately .^[1]

Fossil distribution is exclusive to Santa Cruz Province, Argentina (Deseado and Sarmiento Formations) and Bolivia (Salla Formation).^[1]

Taxonomy

Octodontotherium was named by Ameghino (1894). It was assigned to Mylodontidae by Carroll (1988); and to Mylodontinae by Gaudin (1995).^{[2] [3]}

Palaeoecology

Orthodentine microwear analysis suggests that Octodontotherium was an unspecialised herbivore able to feed on a variety of different plants.^[4]

Notes and References

1. https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=43639 PaleoBiology Database: Octodontotherium, basic info
2. R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York 1-698
3. T. J. Gaudin. 1995. The ear region of edentates and the phylogeny of Tardigrada (Mammalia, Xenarthra). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(3):672-705
4. Kalthoff . Daniela C. . Green . Jeremy L. . 28 July 2017 . Feeding Ecology in Oligocene Mylodontoid Sloths (Mammalia, Xenarthra) as Revealed by Orthodentine Microwear Analysis . . en . 25 . 4 . 551–564 . 10.1007/s10914-017-9405-x . 1064-7554 . 6209052 . 30443148 . 14 November 2024 . Springer Link.