All Topics  
Megalocnus

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Megalocnus
 
 
  Topics Megalocnus Topic Home

The ground sloth
Ground sloth

Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths, mammals in the edentate superorder Xenarthra. They may have died out as recently as 1550 AD in Hispaniola and Cuba, but had long since been extinct on the mainland of North America and South America....
s of the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Megalocnus ("Great Sloth") were among the largest of the Caribbean ground sloths, with individuals estimated to have weighed up to 90 kilos (200 pounds) when alive. Two species are known, M. rodens of Cuba
Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is a country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba , the island of Isla de la Juventud, and several adjacent small islands....
, and M. zile of Hispaniola
Hispaniola

Hispaniola is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east....
. Subfossil
Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
s of M. rodens indicate survival well into the Holocene
Holocene

The Holocene is a geological Epoch which began approximately 11,700 years ago . According to traditional geological thinking, the Holocene continues to the present....
, prompting speculation that they may have survived in the montane
Montane

Montane is a biogeography term which refers to highland areas located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals....
 forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
s of the Cuban highlands until the 15th or 16th century.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Megalocnus'
Start a new discussion about 'Megalocnus'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The ground sloth
Ground sloth

Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths, mammals in the edentate superorder Xenarthra. They may have died out as recently as 1550 AD in Hispaniola and Cuba, but had long since been extinct on the mainland of North America and South America....
s of the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Megalocnus ("Great Sloth") were among the largest of the Caribbean ground sloths, with individuals estimated to have weighed up to 90 kilos (200 pounds) when alive. Two species are known, M. rodens of Cuba
Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is a country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba , the island of Isla de la Juventud, and several adjacent small islands....
, and M. zile of Hispaniola
Hispaniola

Hispaniola is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east....
. Subfossil
Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
s of M. rodens indicate survival well into the Holocene
Holocene

The Holocene is a geological Epoch which began approximately 11,700 years ago . According to traditional geological thinking, the Holocene continues to the present....
, prompting speculation that they may have survived in the montane
Montane

Montane is a biogeography term which refers to highland areas located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals....
 forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
s of the Cuban highlands until the 15th or 16th century. However, the most recent AMS
Accelerator mass spectrometry

Accelerator mass spectrometry differs from other forms of mass spectrometry in that it accelerates ions to extraordinarily high kinetic energy before mass analysis....
 radiocarbon
Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years....
 date reported is 6250 BP
Before Present

Before Present years are a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other science disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use 1950 Common_Era as the arbitrary origin of the age scale....
, calibrated
Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating, or carbon dating, is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years....
 to c. 6600 BP. The most recent date reported for any of the Antillean sloths is 4391 BP, calibrated to c. 5000 BP, for the Hispaniolan Neocnus comes.

Their relatives include other Caribbean ground sloths, such as Acratocnus
Acratocnus

Acratocnus is an extinct genus of ground sloth found in Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico....
, Habanocnus
Habanocnus

Habanocnus is an extinct genus of ground sloth indigenous to Late Pleistocene Cuba. It was related to the genus Megalocnus...
, Mesocnus, Miocnus, Neocnus, Parocnus, Paulocnus, and Synocnus
Synocnus

Synocnus was a genus of ground sloth that was about the size of a medium-sized dog and weighed approximately about 50 pounds. This animal lived in Haiti....
.