Megatherium fossil map
Where fossils of Megatherium 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 | Ice Age & later mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 27.3 million years ago to the present (Chattian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Megatheriidae |
| Named by | Cuvier 1796 |
| Fossil records | 97 occurrences at 88 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, United States, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala, Nicaragua … |
| Rock formations | txn:43608, Umala, Tarija, Lujan, Salto Ander Egg, Ulloma |
About Megatherium
Megatherium ( meg-ə-THEER-ee-əm; from Greek méga (μέγα) 'great' + theríon (θηρίον) 'beast') is an extinct genus of large ground sloths endemic to South America that lived from the Pliocene through the end of the Late Pleistocene. It is best known for the elephant-sized, 3.5–4 tonnes (7,700–8,800 lb) type species Megatherium americanum, which is primarily known from the Pampas, but which ranged southwards to northernmost Patagonia and northwards to southern Bolivia during the late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. Various other species have been described, including those belonging to the Andean subgenus Pseudomegatherium, which range in size from comparable to M. americanum down to approximately 1 tonne (2,200 lb).
The first (holotype) specimen of Megatherium americanum was discovered in 1787 on the bank of the Luján River in what is now northern Argentina. The specimen was shipped to Spain the following year, where it caught the attention of the French paleontologist Georges Cuvier. He named the animal in 1796, making it one of the first prehistoric animals to be scientifically named. Using comparative anatomy, he determined that Megatherium was a giant sloth.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Megatherium (revision 1380130968), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q310387.
