Prepotherium fossil map
Where fossils of Prepotherium 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 | 17.5–13.8 million years ago (Burdigalian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Megatheriidae |
| Named by | Ameghino 1891 |
| Fossil records | 8 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina |
| Rock formations | Santa Cruz, Collón Cura |
About Prepotherium
Prepotherium is an extinct genus of megatheriid ground sloths that lived during the Miocene period. Fossils of Prepotherium have been found in the Collón Curá and Santa Cruz Formations of Argentina.
Prepotherium differed from Megatherium by being smaller and having a less exaggeratedly convex inferior border of the lower jaw.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Prepotherium (revision 1258136045), 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: Q2365300.
