Eremotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Eremotherium have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 8 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Megatheriidae |
| Named by | Spillmann 1948 |
| Fossil records | 296 occurrences at 135 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Brazil, Mexico, United States, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras … |
| Rock formations | txn:43608, Tamiami, Caloosahatchee, Mesa, Cuscatlán, Bermont |
About Eremotherium
Eremotherium (from Greek for "steppe" or "desert" "beast": ἔρημος "steppe or desert" and θηρίον "beast") is an extinct genus of giant ground sloth in the family Megatheriidae. Eremotherium lived in southern North America, Central America, and northern South America. It was one of the largest sloths, with a body size comparable to elephants, weighing around 4.5 tonnes (4.4 long tons; 5.0 short tons) and measuring about 6 metres (20 ft) long, slightly larger than its close relative Megatherium.
Originating during the Pliocene, Eremotherium migrated northwards into North America as part of the Great American Interchange of fauna between North and South America following the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama during the late Pliocene. Finds of Eremotherium are common and widespread, with fossils being found as far north as South Carolina (with a single record also reported from New Jersey) in the United States and as far south as Rio Grande Do Sul in southern Brazil, and many complete skeletons have been unearthed.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eremotherium (revision 1374792461), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q907433.
