Ground Sloth Evolution. Instead most species in this group have been more like the giant ground sloths now long extinct. At their earliest appearance in the fossil record the ground sloths were already distinct at the family level.
Sometimes named a giant ground sloth it roamed this planet as far back as about 35 million years ago and became extinct around 11 000 years ago. The evolution of sloths is interesting because two and three toed sloths appear very closely related but it has recently been suggested that they have vastly different ancestors meaning that they evolved through convergent evolution. However new research published today in bmc evolutionary biology suggests this makes them the black sheep of the sloth family.
Recent evidence suggests it may have been a burrower.
One study found that xenarthrans broke off from other placental mammals around 100 million years ago. Recent evidence suggests it may have been a burrower. Sloths belong to the superorder xenarthra a group of placental mammals believed to have evolved in the continent of south america around 60 million years ago. Recent evidence suggests it may have been a burrower.
