File:A guide to the fossil mammals and birds in the Department of Geology and Palæontology in the British Museum (Natural History) (1896) (14775443943).jpg

English:
Figure 84: Restored skeleton of Scelidotherium leptocephalum (Owen); from the Pleistocene deposits of the Argentine Republic, South America (greatly reduced) – partly from Capellini (The separate bones used in this restoration are in Wall-case, No. 26)

Identifier: guidetofossilma00brit (find matches)
Title: A guide to the fossil mammals and birds in the Department of Geology and Palæontology in the British Museum (Natural History) ..
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Geology Woodward, Henry, 1832-1921
Subjects: Mammals, Fossil Birds, Fossil
Publisher: (London) Printed by order of the Trustees
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ws, with which its handswere provided, to break down or bend the trees upon theleaves and succulent branches of which it fed, like its pigmymodern representative, the existing tree-sloth, which spends itsentire life climbing back-downwards among the branches of thetrees suspended by its powerful arms and long recurved claws. A nearly perfect original skeleton of Mylodon robustns, Owen, Mylodon.has been set up in this gallery beside the restored skeleton of Glass-caseMegatherium, so that Ave see in juxtaposition examples of two of 00.the largest genera of these great extinct gx-ound-sloths, once thedenizens of the vast tropical forests of America, and representedto-day by the tree-sloth (Bradypus), an animal not larger than adog in size; the skeleton of one of which is placed in the adjoiningWall-case for comparison with the Megatherium. Remains of other allied animals, namely, Scelidotherium (seeFig. 84), and Megalonyx, may be seen in the Wall-caseadjoining. 70 Edentata—Scelidother,
Text Appearing After Image:
s, Edentata—Armadillos. 71 In addition to the series of gigantic Ground-Sloths, wemay notice the several genera of extinct gigantic Armadillos,also from the Pleistocene deposits of South America. These large extinct genera differed from the living speciesof Armadillos in having their coat of mail composed of a singlepiece, not divided up into a seizes of bands or segments, bymeans of which the living forms are enabled, when attacked,to contract the body into the form of a ball. In most of theextinct species the carapace is composed of polygonal or quad-rangular bony scutes, closely united by their sutures into asolid buckler, and the caudal portion is enclosed in a completebony tail-sheath. The top of the head is also protected bytessellated dermal plates of bone.

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