Mylodon is a genus of extinct ground sloth belonging to the family Mylodontidae, known from southern South America. With a total length of 3 to 4 m and a body mass of 1-2 tonnes, it is one of the largest mylodontids.
Mylodon
Toenails, dung and skin, Natural History Museum, London
Lower jaw of Mylodon
Fur and skin at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. Ground sloths varied widely in size, with the largest, belonging to genera Megatherium and Eremotherium, being around the size of elephants. Ground sloths are a paraphyletic group, as living tree sloths are thought to have evolved from ground sloth ancestors.
Ground sloth
Fossil Eremotherium skeleton, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.
Paramylodon harlani, Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas at Austin
A Tamandua anteater in an upright defensive stance similar to those presumed to have been adopted by ground sloths, per trackways preserved in New Mexico