Acratocnus

Taxobox
name = "Acratocnus"


image_caption = "Acratocnus major, A. odontrigonus, A. simorhynchus"
fossil_range = Pleistocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
superordo = Xenarthra
ordo = Pilosa
familia = Megalonychidae
genus = †"Acratocnus"
genus_authority = Anthony, 1916
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* †"A. simorhyncus"
* †"A. ye"
* †"A. odontrigonus"
* †"A. major"
* †"A. comes"
* †"A. antillensis"

"Acratocnus" is an extinct genus of ground sloth found in Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.

Classification

The Puerto Rican ground sloth, "Acratocnus odontrigonus", and Anthony's ground sloth, "A. major", are known from several poorly documented cave excavations in Northwestern Puerto Rico. As with many sloth fossils, these species of sloth have not been radiometrically dated. [http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/Vol35b/35_238-248.pdf] It is suggested that "Acratocnus" survived into the late Pleistocene but disappeared from Northwestern Puerto Rico before the mid-Holocene, without trace of anthropogenic contact, though there lamentably is insufficient evidence to support this claim. The related Cuban ground sloth, "Megalocnus rodens", is believed to have survived in the montane forests of Cuba, until the 16th century, when Europeans introduced rats and pigs onto the island.

Location

The species of "Acratocnus" were found on the islands of Puerto Rico, Cuba and Hispanola, where they inhabited the montane forests of the highlands. The various species are regarded as being semi-arboreal because of their (relatively speaking) small size and their large hooked claws.

ize

The various species of "Acratocnus" ranged in weight from 50 to 150 lbs, and were similar in size to living tree sloths (genera "Choloepus" and "Bradypus").

Extinction

The Puerto Rican and Hispanolan ground sloth species went extinct during the late Pleistocene, with some species even surviving into historic times. The causes of their extinction may have been a combination of climatic changes, human hunting, and, with the last species, disruption of their habitats due to the introduction of pigs and rats.

References