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SLOTHS 

this page was last updated  05/16/12 

 

Sloths belong to the group called Xenarthrans, formerly called Edentata, including anteaters, glyptodonts, armadillos and sloths.  Those from Florida evolved in South America.  Most fossil xenarthrans have no enamel on their teeth, but the teeth continued to grow throughout the life of the animal so as to compensate for this.
There were basically three different types or genus of sloths in Florida, the mylodontids, the megalonychids, and the megatheres.  The first includes the Thinobastides in the Miocene, and the small Glossotherium chapadmalense and the larger Paramylodon  harlani.  These are ones which have the straight, more rounded in cross-section claw cores.

The second group are the megalonychids which arrived in the late Miocene and lasted until the late Pleistocene.  These start with the Pliometanastes  and grow progressively larger through M. curvidens, (early Pliocene), leptostomus, (late Pliocene-early Pleistocene) M. wheatleyi, and M. jeffersonii. These sloths had more curved, flat claw cores, as did the eremotheres.  In the teeth that follow, the smaller teeth are those of the earlier sloths.

The third type includes the enormous eremothere and the much smaller Nothrotheriops texanum.  Both of these are relatively more scarce in Florida than the other two types.  The large Eremotherium teeth are often found split in half.  Indeed, all sloth teeth are fragile and need careful handling.


 



Sloth Tooth  Megalonyx  Columbia Co. FLSOLDf
2 5/8"  $25  f1123
COMMENTS: well preserved, no damage, excellent occlusal surface, found in April, 2012

 

 




Sloth Tooth  Megalonyx  Columbia Co. FL
2"  $20 order 1015
COMMENTS: well preserved


 

 



Giant Ground Sloth Tooth  Paramylodon harlani Gilchrist Co. FL
2 3/4"  $10 order f911
COMMENTS:  some ancient damage to occlusal surface, but it is what it is.


 

 




Giant Ground Sloth Tooth  Paramylodon harlani Gilchrist Co. FL
21/8"  $15 order f897
COMMENTS:  nice solid tooth

 



Sloth Tooth  Megalonyx  Taylor Co. FL
2 1/4"  $25 order f894
COMMENTS: very nice

 



Sloth claw core  Pleistocene  Taylor Co. FLSOLDS
2 1/4" f1131
 

 

 



Sloth claw core  Paramylodon Pleistocene, Dixie Co. FL|
2 3/4"  $125 order f1130
COMMENTS:    complete with no repair.

 

 



Sloth Palate Section  Pleistocene  Taylor Co. FL
3 1/2"  $25 order f1129
COMMENTS:  rare piece, well preserved

 

 



Sloth Knuckle Pleistocene  Taylor Co. FL  SOLDS
2 1/2"  f1127
 

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best fossils general- fossils artifacts restorations tapirs sold fossils ammonites
proboscidea   bear cat shark wolf casts sloth choice- fossils sold- artifacts
  Fla miocene

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