Hapaloides fossil map
Where fossils of Hapaloides 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 | 21–17.5 million years ago (Aquitanian to Burdigalian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Megalonychidae |
| Named by | Ameghino 1902 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina |
| Rock formations | Sarmiento |
About Hapaloides
Hapaloides is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Megalonychidae, endemic to Argentina during the Early Miocene. It lived from 21.0 mya to 17.5 mya, existing (as a genus) for approximately 3.5 million years.
Found in the Colhuehuapian-aged Colpodon Beds of Argentina, three species are known: H. ignavus (the type species), H. laevisculus and H. ponderosus, all named by Florentino Ameghino in 1902. H. ignavus is known from a partial cranium that is smaller than that of Hapalops rectangularis, which it was compared to.
Ameghino in 1902 placed Hapaloides in the Megatheriidae, alongside Proschismotherium, which was its sister taxon, while more recent taxonomic reviews place Hapaloides within Megalonychidae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hapaloides (revision 1354891421), 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: Q113546134.
