Megalonyx

Megalonyx is an extinct genus of large ground sloths that lived in North America. Its best-known species, Megalonyx jeffersonii, survived into the late Pleistocene.

Ground sloth: An extinct group of mostly large, ground-dwelling sloths that lived in the Americas. Megalonyx belongs to this diverse group of extinct sloths.
Megalonyx jeffersonii: A large North American ground sloth species that lived during the Pleistocene. It is the best-known species in the genus.
Thomas Jefferson: The third president of the United States and a political thinker who also pursued natural history. Jefferson described fossil bones later identified with Megalonyx and lent his name to its species.
Paleoecology: The study of ancient organisms and their interactions with past environments. Megalonyx fossils help reconstruct Pleistocene habitats and food webs.
Xenarthra: A mammalian superorder comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, native to the Americas. Megalonyx is a xenarthran, sharing the group’s distinctive skeletal traits.
Megalonyx wheatleyi: An extinct species of Megalonyx known from Pleistocene deposits in North America. It illustrates the genus’s species diversity beyond M. jeffersonii.
Lewis and Clark Expedition: The 1804–1806 United States expedition that explored the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest. Its western exploration renewed attention to Jefferson’s fossil sloth and its living relatives.
Stable isotope analysis: A method that measures isotope ratios in materials to infer past diets, environments, or processes. Isotope evidence can help identify the foods and habitats used by extinct mammals.
Pilosa: The mammalian order containing sloths and anteaters. This order places Megalonyx among its living and extinct relatives.
Megalonyx leptostomus: An extinct species of Megalonyx recognized from North American fossil remains. Its fossils document another named species within the genus.

Linked from 1 page