Mionothropus facts for kids
Mionothropus was an extinct type of sloth that lived a long time ago. It was part of a group called nothrotheriine Megatheriidae, which were giant ground sloths. Mionothropus lived in what is now Peru, in the western Amazon Basin, during a time called the late Miocene epoch. This was about 7.9 million years ago!
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What was Mionothropus?
Mionothropus was a large, slow-moving mammal, similar to the sloths we see today, but much bigger and living on the ground. It is known from a very important fossil called a holotype. This specific fossil, named LACM 4609/117533, includes parts of its skull. These skull pieces help scientists understand what Mionothropus looked like and how it lived.
Where and When Did It Live?
The fossil of Mionothropus was found in Peru. Specifically, it was discovered in riverbank deposits of the Iñapari Formation in the Río Acre region. This area is part of the western Amazon Basin. Mionothropus lived during the late Miocene epoch, which is a geological time period that ended about 5.3 million years ago. The specific age it lived in is called the Huayquerian age.
How Was It Discovered and Named?
The fossil that became Mionothropus was first thought to be from a different sloth, Nothropus priscus. However, after more study, scientists realized it was a new type of sloth. It was officially named by Gerardo De Iuliis, Timothy J. Gaudin, and Matthew J. Vicars in 2011.
The name Mionothropus has a special meaning. "Mio" comes from "Miocene," which is the time period when the sloth lived. "Nothropus" refers to the original idea that the fossil belonged to the Nothropus group. The full name of the species is Mionothropus cartellei. The "cartellei" part was chosen to honor a scientist named Dr. Castor Cartelle.
Mionothropus in the Sloth Family Tree
Scientists use something called a cladogram to show how different animals are related, like a family tree. This cladogram shows where Mionothropus fits in with other sloths:
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This diagram shows that Mionothropus is closely related to other sloths like Pronothrotherium, Nothrotheriops, and Nothrotherium. All these sloths belong to the Nothrotheriinae group, which is part of the larger Nothrotheriidae family.
See also
In Spanish: Mionothropus para niños
