What is "scelidotherium"

Scelidotherium is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Mylodontidae, endemic to South America during the middle Pleistocene epoch. It lived from 780,000—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately .

It is characterized by an elongated, superficially anteater-like head. In fossil distribution, it is known from Argentina, Peru, Panama, Brazil, Paraguay and Ecuador.

In his journal of The Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin reports the finding of a nearly perfect fossil Scelidotherium in Punta Alta while travelling overland from Bahía Blanca to Buenos Aires in 1832. He allied it to the Megatherium. Owen (1840) recognized the true characters of the remains and named them Scelidotherium, which means "femur beast" to reflect the distinctive proportions of that skeletal element. They were tall and might have weighed up to .