Meizonyx fossil map
Where fossils of Meizonyx 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 | 2.58–0.0117 million years ago (Gelasian to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Megalonychidae |
| Named by | Webb and Perrigo 1985 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Mexico, El Salvador |
| Rock formations | txn:43596, Cuscatlán |
About Meizonyx
Meizonyx is an extinct genus of megalonychid ground sloth known from Pleistocene deposits in El Salvador and southern Mexico. The genus contains a single species, Meizonyx salvadorensis, which was described in 1985 on the basis of a mandible discovered at Barranca del Sisimico, El Salvador. Further remains recovered from Rio Tomayate in El Salvador have been attributed to the species and are considered to date to the Middle Pleistocene. In 2021, two partial skeletons were described from Late Pleistocene deposits within the Sistema Huautla cave in Oxaca, Mexico. Radiometric dating placed one of the specimens at approximately 12,562 ± 130 years Before Present. It is considered closely related to Xibalbaonyx. In size, it was comparable to or slightly larger than Megalonyx jeffersonii. It is thought to have inhabited relatively mountainous environments.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Meizonyx (revision 1371823664), 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: Q58418070.
