Eucholoeops fossil map
Where fossils of Eucholoeops have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 17.5–11 million years ago (Burdigalian to Tortonian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Megalonychidae |
| Named by | Amegino 1887 |
| Fossil records | 44 occurrences at 11 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Colombia |
| Rock formations | Santa Cruz, La Victoria |
About Eucholoeops
Eucholoeops (sometimes incorrectly spelled Eucholaeops) is a genus of megalonychid ground sloth that lived in southernmost Argentina. Fossils have been recovered from the lower Santa Cruz Formation of Patagonia, which has been dated to the Early Miocene. The type species, E. ingens, was named by Florentino Ameghino in 1887 based on skull fossils, encased in geological matrix, from the collection of his brother. These remains were never removed from the matrix, and have since been lost. Florentino Ameghino went on to name five more species if Eucholoeops, and another palaeontologist, Aldice Mercerat, named two more. All are now believed to represent the same taxon as E. ingens, and the lost type specimen has been replaced with a neotype lower jaw.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eucholoeops (revision 1371062615), 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: Q125622708.
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