Glossotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Glossotherium 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 | 11.63 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Mylodontidae |
| Named by | Owen 1840 |
| Fossil records | 190 occurrences at 91 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, United States, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela |
| Rock formations | txn:43629, Lujan, Rancho Viejo Beds, Tamiami, Salto Ander Egg, Chapadmalal |
About Glossotherium
Glossotherium is an extinct genus of large mylodontid ground sloths of the subfamily Mylodontinae. It represents one of the best-known members of the family, along with Mylodon and Paramylodon. Reconstructed animals were between 3 and 4 metres (9.8 and 13.1 ft) long and possibly weighed up to 1,002.6–1,500 kg. The majority of finds of Glossotherium date from the Middle and Late Pleistocene, around 300,000 to 12,000 years ago, with a few dating older, as far back Pliocene, about 3.3-3 million years ago. The range included large parts of South America, east of the Andes roughly from latitude 20 to 40 degrees south, leaving out the Amazon Basin in the north. In western South America, finds are also documented north of the equator. The animals largely inhabited the open landscapes of the Pampas and northern savanna regions.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Glossotherium (revision 1365254367), 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: Q135575.
