mylodon
9.9
A large extinct ground sloth from South America that lived during the Ice Age
- noun
- /ˈmaɪləˌdɒn/
- Specialized
:
mylodón
- The mylodon was one of the largest ground sloths that roamed the forests of South America during the Pleistocene epoch.
Examples
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Fossils of the mylodon reveal its massive size and unique toothless features that set it apart from modern sloths.
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Scientists believe that the mylodon could weigh over a thousand pounds and had adaptations for a herbivorous diet.
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Now here's what was really weird about them: like the mylodons, their trunks were stocky, but instead of proportionately short, robust legs, theirs were long and sleek, like a horse's.
Fiction book (1991)
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word mylodon comes from the Greek parts mylo- meaning 'molar' or 'grinder' and -odon meaning 'tooth', so the name literally means 'molar-tooth'. That is a helpful way to remember this huge, extinct ground sloth from South America, which we know from large fossils and its big teeth.
