| Glossotherium Temporal range: late Pliocene to Pleistocene |
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|---|---|
| G. robustum in London | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Xenarthra |
| Family: | †Mylodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Mylodontinae |
| Genus: | Glossotherium Owen, 1840 |
| Species | |
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Glossotherium (literally "Tongue Beast") was a genus of ground sloth.[1] It was a heavily built animal with a length of about 4 metres (13 ft) snout to tail-tip, and could potentially assume a slight bipedal stance.
Fossils of this animal have been found in South America. It is closely related to Paramylodon of North America, whose specimens have often been confused and assigned to Glossotherium, which in turn was initially assigned to Mylodon. The earliest Glossotherium specimens are known from the Pliocene of South America and are represented by the species, G. chapadmalense. All specimens of Pleistocene age are typically lumped into G. robustum and a few other questionable species. Further research is needed at the species level.
Due to its size and strength, Glossotherium would have had few natural enemies apart from sabre-toothed cats such as Smilodon. It is believed to have died out in Pleistocene (1.8 million - 12,000 years ago).