Scelidotherium leptocephalum

Scelidotherium was a sloth with remarkably large femurs which earned it its genus name. The proportions and particular sturdiness of its limb bones has led certain researchers to suggest that the animal probably had a strong aptitude for digging. Indeed, vast fossil burrows exist in the Pampas regions of Argentina where Scelidotherium fossils have been found; it is quite possible that they were dug by this animal.

Along with present day tree-dwelling sloths, and also fossil giant sloths (Megatherium) and aquatic sloths (Thalassocnus), both of which are on display in the Gallery, Scelidotherium illustrates the impressive variety of locomotor specialisations observed over the course of the history of sloths, a group that was clearly more diverse in the past than it is today.

This skeleton of an individual discovered between Recoleta and Palermo on the banks of the Rio de la Plata, near Buenos Aires, was mounted by Mr Deyrolle.