Paramylodon

Paramylodon is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Mylodontidae endemic to North America during the Pliocene through Pleistocene epochs, living from around ~4.9 Mya–11,000 years ago. It is also known as Harlan's ground sloth. Due to the partly very good fossil preservation, the body armor typical for the mylodonts has mostly been preserved in the form of osteoderms. In addition, a sex-specific difference in cranial structure can be demonstrated. According to the finds, the representatives of Paramylodon lived in open landscapes, sometimes also in mountainous locations, and most likely fed on grass-eating or mixed plant diets. Unique trace fossils also provide information about the locomotion of the animals, which was quadrupedal. In addition, due to the design of the forelimbs, a certain burrowing way of life cannot be disputed. Within the genus only two species are recognized: Paramylodon harlani and Paramylodon garbanii. The first fossil findings date back to the beginning of the 1830s. They go back to Richard Harlan, in whose honor the species was named. The genus Paramylodon was introduced by Barnum Brown in the early 20th century. Altogether, this genus looks back on an eventful history of research. In their first 150 years, the finds that are now attributed to Paramylodon, and later the genus itself, were repeatedly associated with other forms, first with Mylodon, but since the 1950s increasingly with Glossotherium. Especially with the latter genus Paramylodon shares numerous features that argue for a close relationship. Only since the 1990s have both genera been considered distinct, with Glossotherium restricted to South America, while Paramylodon inhabited North America.