Armadillos, Sloths & Anteaters

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

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sloth
Sloth, (suborder Folivora), tree-dwelling mammal noted for its slowness of movement. All six living species are limited to the lowland tropical forests of South and Central America, where they can be found...
Glyptodon
Glyptodon, genus of extinct giant mammals related to modern armadillos and found as fossils in deposits in North and South America dating from the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (5.3 million to 11,700...
pichi
Pichi, South American species of armadillo
Megatherium
Megatherium, largest of the ground sloths, an extinct group of mammals belonging to a group containing sloths, anteaters, glyptodonts, and armadillos that underwent a highly successful evolutionary radiation...
anteater
Anteater, (suborder Vermilingua), any of four species of toothless, insect-eating mammals found in tropical savannas and forests from southern Mexico to Paraguay and northern Argentina. They are long-tailed...
xenarthran
Xenarthran, (magnorder Xenarthra), an ancient lineage of mammals comprising the armadillos (order Cingulata) and the sloths and anteaters (order Pilosa). The namesake feature shared by all members of Xenarthra...
Mylodon
Mylodon, extinct genus of ground sloth found as fossils in South American deposits of the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). Mylodon attained a length of about 3 metres (10 feet). Its...
pangolin
Pangolin, (family Manidae), any of about eight species of armoured placental mammals of the family Manidae (order Pholidota). The name pangolin, from the Malay meaning “rolling over,” refers to this animal’s...
pichiciago
Pichiciago, species of armadillo
armadillo
Armadillo, (family Dasypodidae), any of various armoured mammals found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America. Most of the 20 species inhabit open areas, such as grasslands,...