Nothrotheriidae

Nothrotheriidae; Temporal range: Early Miocene – Early Holocene (Irvingtonian-Rancholabrean (NALMA) & Santacrucian-Lujanian) (SALMA); ~
	Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastense), Peabody Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Pilosa
Clade:	†Megatheria
Family:	†Nothrotheriidae; (Ameghino 1920) C. de Muizon et al. 2004
Genera
	†Neohapalops; †Thalassocnus?; †Nothrotheriinae (Ameghino, 1920) C. de Muizon et al. 2004 †Amphibradys; †Aymaratherium; †Chasicobradys; †Huilabradys; †Lakukullus; †Mcdonaldocnus; †Mionothropus; †Nothropus; †Nothrotheriops; †Nothrotherium; †Pronothrotherium; †Xyophorus; ;

Nothrotheriidae is a family of extinct ground sloths that lived from approximately 17.5 mya—10,000 years ago, existing for approximately 17.49 million years. Previously placed within the tribe Nothrotheriini or subfamily Nothrotheriinae within Megatheriidae, they are now usually placed in their own family, Nothrotheriidae. Nothrotheriids appeared in the Burdigalian, some 19.8 million years ago, in South America. The group includes the comparatively slightly built Nothrotheriops, which reached a length of about 2.75 metres (9.0 ft). While nothrotheriids were small compared to some of their megatheriid relatives, their claws provided an effective defense against predators, like those of larger anteaters today.

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