Temporal range: Early Pleistocene-Early Holocene ~0.781–0.01 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
↓
(Uquian-Lujanian)
Lithograph of the skull of Mylodon
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Pilosa
Family:
†Mylodontidae
Tribe:
†Mylodontini
Genus:
†Mylodon Owen, 1840
Species:
†M. darwini
Binomial name
†Mylodon darwini
Owen, 1840
Mylodon is a genus of extinct ground sloth belonging to the family Mylodontidae, known from southern South America. With a total length of 3 to 4 m and a body mass of 1-2 tonnes, it is one of the largest mylodontids.
The oldest finds probably date to the Lower Pleistocene; however, most of the fossil remains date to the Late Pleistocene. During the Pleistocene, Mylodon ranged further south than any other ground sloth, extending to the far south of Patagonia, with some of the best known remains of the species being from the titular Cueva del Milodon (cave of Mylodon) in Chile.
In addition to skeletal remains, Mylodon is also known from preserved skin and hair. Preserved dung (coprolites) indicates that Mylodon was a grazer, feeding on grasses and sedges.
Mylodon has generally only a single recognised species, Mylodon darwini, which was described by Richard Owen in 1840 based on remains collected in the Pampas by Charles Darwin during the Voyage of the Beagle. Some recent authors suggest that there were two species, with M. darwini restricted to the Pampas, with the Patagonian remains belonging to the separate species Mylodon listai.[1]
Mylodon went extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene-beginning of the Holocene, around 12-10,000 years ago, as part of the Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions, along with other ground sloths and most large animals across the Americas. Mylodon chronologically overlapped with Paleoindians, the first humans to inhabit the Americas, which may have hunted Mylodon. The extinction of Mylodon may be the result of climatic change, hunting by Paleoindians, or a combination of both factors.
^Brambilla, Luciano; Haro, José Augusto (2023-11-02). "A comparative study of the postcranial skeleton of Patagonian and Pampean specimens of the Pleistocene giant sloth genus Mylodon Owen, 1839 (Xenarthra, Pilosa) and its implications". Historical Biology. 35 (11): 2045–2054. doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2132157. ISSN 0891-2963.
Mylodon is a genus of extinct ground sloth belonging to the family Mylodontidae, known from southern South America. With a total length of 3 to 4 m and...
to Paramylodon were repeatedly placed in with other genera, first with Mylodon, but since the 1950s increasingly with Glossotherium. Paramylodon shares...
Hemibarbus mylodon is a species of freshwater cyprinid fish endemic to Korea. It is commonly called spotted barbel or Korean doty barbel. It inhabits...
It represents one of the best-known members of the family, along with Mylodon and Paramylodon. Reconstructed animals were between 3 and 4 metres (9.8...
(January 2022). "Diet and environment of Mylodon darwinii based on pollen of a Late-Glacial coprolite from the Mylodon Cave in southern Chile". Review of Palaeobotany...
Lethrinops mylodon is a species of haplochromine cichlid which is endemic to Lake Malawi where it is widespread. It is a species of deeper water over...
Haplochromis mylodon is a species of cichlid found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda where it occurs in the Kazinga Channel, Lake George...
their skin, though osteoderms were only present in a handful of genera (Mylodon, Paramylodon and Glossotherium) and absent in others. The following sloth...
Labidochromis mylodon is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it is only known to occur around Mumbo Island. This species can reach a length...
would have encountered native equines (Hippidion), the large ground sloth Mylodon, saber toothed cats (Smilodon) the extinct jaguar subspecies Panthera onca...
carnivorous and hunted a variety of large mammals, including the ground sloth Mylodon, horse Hippidion, and camelid Lama. Near his farm in mountains in Última...
also found at both sites. At both sites the extinct large ground sloth Mylodon was also found. While there is no clear evidence for its consumption at...
americanum, along side the smaller (though still large) ground sloths Mylodon, Glossotherium Lestodon and Catonyx, the rhinoceros like ungulate Toxodon...
fragmentary fossil remains, it has been proposed to be closely related to Mylodon. It is suggested to have been a mixed feeder, being capable of both browsing...
Wupa transforms into a giant sloth monster. List of legendary creatures Mylodon Dunning, Brian. "On the Trail of the Mapinguari". Skeptoid. Skeptic Media...
of skin, bones and other parts of a giant ground sloth known as the Mylodon (Mylodon darwini), today extinct. The area includes the Bernardo O'Higgins National...
collagen sequence data indicates the group is less closely related to Mylodon and Lestodon than Choloepus is, and thus it has been elevated back to full...
†Scelidotheriidae: collagen sequence data indicates this group is more distant from Mylodon than Choloepus is, so it has been elevated back to full family status....
species of Belligobio is Belligobio eristigma, a synonym of Hemibarbus mylodon, and this taxa is not currently classified in Belligobio and some authorities...
discussion. The most widely accepted subfamilies are the Mylodontinae with Mylodon as the type genus and the Lestodontinae, whose type genus is Lestodon,...
Among the items it contained was a "piece of brontosaurus" (actually a mylodon, a giant sloth), which had been sent to Chatwin's grandmother by her cousin...
ground sloths Glossotherium or Scelidotherium. Remains of ground sloths (Mylodon and others) in caves are particularly common in colder parts of their range...
Coprolites assigned to S. populator recovered from Argentina preserve Mylodon osteoderms and a Lama scaphoid bone. In addition to this unambiguous evidence...
Global Information
