Nothropus is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Nothrotheriidae, endemic to South America during the Pleistocene epoch. It lived from 0.781 mya—12,000 years ago existing for approximately 0.769 million years. It was believed to be a ground-dwelling herbivore.
Taxonomy
Nothropus priscus and Nothropus nordenskioldi are described as subtaxa. Nothropus was named by Hermann Burmeister (1882). It was assigned to Megalonychidae by L. G. Marshall and T. Sempere (1991) and to Nothrotheriidae by Christian de Muizon et al. (2004).
Fossil distribution
Fossils have been uncovered from the Tarija Formation, Tarija Department, Bolivia, east side of the Andes Mountains.
References
- Classification of Mammals by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell
