tmac Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 Purchased this for a very small price - not much known about it - The seller thought it came from South America, but wasn’t certain. Anyone able to identify it? Link to post Share on other sites
Done Drillin Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 To me this appears to be a fragment of an Eremotherium or giant ground sloth tooth - 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Harry Pristis Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 If it's truly from So. America, it would be Megatherium. Eremotheres are N. American, as I recall. Link to post Share on other sites
fossilus Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 I don't know, I found this in Research Gate, when I searched for eremotherium distribution map. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Harry Pristis Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 Well, taxonomists have opinions. This from Wikipedia: type species M. americanum, sometimes called the giant ground sloth, or the megathere, native to the Pampas through southern Bolivia during the Pleistocene. Various other smaller species belonging to the subgenus Pseudomegatherium are known from the Andes. Megatherium is part of the sloth family Megatheriidae, which also includes the similarly giant Eremotherium, comparable in size to M. americanum, which was native to tropical South America, Central America and North America as far north as the southern United States 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Tidgy's Dad Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 What a great pick up! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
tmac Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 Thanks for all the input - sounds like definitely a ground sloth - what’s your best guess on the species? Link to post Share on other sites
fossilus Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 If it's truly from south America, it would have to be megatherium or eremotherium. I'm not sure that you can narrow it down more than that based on a partial tooth. What you do know is that it's from one of the largest sloths that ever lived. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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