Paramylodon

Name: Paramylodon ‭(‬Near Mylodon‭).
Phonetic: Pah-rah-my-loe-don.
Named By: Barnum Brown‭ ‬-‭ ‬1903.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Xenarthra,‭ ‬Pilosa,‭ ‬Mylodontidae,‭ ‬Mylodontinae.
Species: P.‭ ‬harlani‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Roughly about 3‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Canada,‭ ‬Guatemala,‭ ‬Mexico and USA.
Time period: Pliocene through to the end of the Pleistocene.
Fossil representation: Multiple specimens,‭ ‬some almost complete.




       Paramylodon acquired its name from its close similarity to another ground sloth called Mylodon.‭ ‬This close similarity has led to questions as to if they are actually separate genera since the original defining characteristic of the two genera having a different dental formulae is today no longer considered enough because the numbers of teeth in Mylodon individuals can be seen to vary from one case to another.‭ ‬Later work by L.‭ ‬Kraglievich in‭ ‬1928‭ ‬helped to clear up the definition differences between Mylodon and Paramylodon.
       An additional source of confusion is a‭ ‬1976‭ ‬study by Robertson that declared Paramylodon to be a sub species of Glossotherium,‭ ‬leading some at the time to change the names of their specimens to Glossotherium harlani,‭ ‬while since this time other studies have questioned this action.‭ ‬So far most researchers continue to treat Paramylodon as a valid genus,‭ ‬though future studies of Paramylodon and associated genera may yet shake up the genus.
       At three meters long Paramylodon was mid-sized for a ground sloth,‭ ‬and it seems to have had bony growths that would have been just under the skin.‭ ‬These would have provided Paramylodon with extra armour and protection from prehistoric predators such as Smilodon,‭ ‬dire wolves and lions that may have found Paramylodon to much bother to deal with on a full time‭ ‬basis.‭ ‬This is another similarity with the genus Mylodon‭; ‬however one difference is the known geographic range of these two genera.‭ ‬So far,‭ ‬Paramylodon‭ ‬is‭ ‬mostly only known from North America and parts of northern Central America.


Hapalops, Megalonyx, Eremotherium, Megatherium, Glossotherium, Mylodon, Paramylodon, Nothrotheriops.

Further reading
- Late Pleistocene mylodont sloth Paramylodon harlani (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from Arizona. - The Southwestern Naturalist 49 (2): 229–238. - Gregory H. McDonald, Larry D. Agenbroad, Carol Manganaro Haden & Cheri A. Jones - 2004.
- Reassessing the Taxonomy and Affinities of the Mylodontinae Sloths, Glossotherium and Paramylodon (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Tardigrada). - Ph.D. Dissertation, Northern Illinois University. - R. K. McAfee - 2007.



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