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SLOTHS 

this page was last updated  09/09/10 

SLOTH TEETH

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 claw   Paramylodon harlani Pleistocene Taylor Co. FL 
 2 1/8"   $125 order f681
COMMENTS:  young animal, all cartilage not yet ossified.  Complete and perfect with no restoration nor repair.  Possible same animal as f680.

Sloth Tibia partial  Paramylodon harlani Pleistocene Taylor Co. FL
appx 7 3/4"  $25 order f678
COMMENTS:  Proximal portion, no erosion, surfaces excellent, hard and well preserved.

Sloth claw & digit  Paramylodon harlani Pleistocene Columbia Co. FL
claw alone, 2 3/4" straight across  $275 order f486
COMMENTS:  small amount of damage on top of claw as seen in picture, no restoration, no repair.  Overall excellent condition.  From the Santa Fe River.

Sloth claw Megalonyx jeffersonii  Pleistocene Dixie Co. FL
2 1/4"  $145 order f514
COMMENTS:  excellent condition, great price on this one!

Sloth claw Megalonyx jeffersonii  Pleistocene Dixie Co. FL
2 1/4"  $115 order f503
COMMENTS:  tiny tip damage but otherwise complete.  Juvenile, proximal portion not yet hardened.

GIANT GROUND SLOTH  Eremotherium  Pliocene-Pleistocene Columbia Co. FL
2" wide by 2 1/4" tall  $230 order f508
COMMENTS:  wide tooth mounted on a spalted magnolia base.

EREMOTHERIUM PATELLA Pliocene-Pleistocene Taylor Co. FL
appx. 4" by 4"  $125  order f644
COMMENTS:  extremely rare piece.  Any eremothere material is difficult to acquire, and the patella is almost never seen.  Compare to the mastodon and mammoth.  This piece is in perfect condition. 

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