Oreomylodon Temporal range: Late Pleistocene
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Skull of Oreomylodon | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Pilosa |
Family: | †Mylodontidae |
Subfamily: | †Mylodontinae |
Genus: | †Oreomylodon Hoffstetter 1949 |
Species | |
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Oreomylodon is an extinct genus of ground sloth in the family Mylodontidae, endemic to Ecuador during the Pleistocene. The only species, O. wegneri, was long considered to be either a species or subgenus[1] of Glossotherium (as G. wegneri) or a junior synonym of Glossotherium robustum, but studies of its cranial anatomy published in 2019 have supported Oreomylodon as a valid genus, and suggested it is more closely related to Paramylodon.[2] However, a subsequent analysis published in 2020 again sunk Oreomylodon wegneri into Glossotherium, as a distinct species.[3] It shows adaptations to living in a high-altitude habitat, and its fossils have frequently been unearthed in the Interandean Valles of Ecuador, at elevations of between 2,450 and 3,100 meters.
References[edit]
- ^ Martin, Paul S.; Klein, Richard G. (1989). Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution. University of Arizona Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780816511006.
- ^ Román-Carrión, José Luis; Brambilla, Luciano (2019). "Comparative skull osteology of Oreomylodon wegneri (Xenarthra, Mylodontinae): defining the taxonomic status of the Ecuadorian endemic ground sloth". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (4). doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1674860. S2CID 209439994.
- ^ Iuliis, Gerardo DE; Boscaini, Alberto; Pujos, François; Mcafee, Robert K.; Cartelle, Cástor; Tsuji, Leonard J. S.; Rook, Lorenzo (2020-12-28). "On the status of the giant mylodontine sloth Glossotherium wegneri (Spillmann, 1931) (Xenarthra, Folivora)from the late Pleistocene of Ecuador". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 19 (12): 215–232. doi:10.5852/cr-palevol2020v19a12. hdl:2158/1222861. ISSN 1777-571X.
Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction