Thalassocnus

Thalassocnus; Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Thalassocnus skeleton, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Theria
Infraclass:	Eutheria
Superorder:	Xenarthra
Order:	Pilosa
Family:	†Megatheriidae
Subfamily:	†Nothrotheriinae
Genus:	†Thalassocnus; de Muizon & McDonald, 1995
Species
	†Thalassocnus antiquus; †Thalassocnus natans; †Thalassocnus littoralis; †Thalassocnus carolomartini; †Thalassocnus yaucensis;

Thalassocnus is an extinct genus of semi-aquatic or aquatic marine sloth from the Miocene and Pliocene of South America. Fossils found to date have been from the coast of Peru. They were apparently grazers of sea grass and seaweed. Over time, they apparently shifted from a preference for feeding in shallow water to a preference for deeper waters.^[1] They may have used their powerful claws to anchor themselves to the sea floor to facilitate feeding, similar to the behavior of the marine iguana.^[1]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Muizon, C. de (2004). "The evolution of feeding adaptations of the aquatic sloth Thalassocnus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (2). Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: 398–410. doi:10.1671/2429b. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

References

McDonald, H. G. (2002). "The cranial anatomy of Thalassocnus (Xenarthra, Mammalia), a derived nothrothere from the Neogene of the Pisco Formation (Peru)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2). Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: 349–365. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0349:TCAOTX]2.0.CO;2. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J. G.M. Thewissen. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Pg.72.
Muizon, C. de (1995-05-18). "An aquatic sloth from the Pliocene of Peru". Nature. 375 (6528). Nature Publishing Group: 224–227. doi:10.1038/375224a0. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia) by Dougal Dixon

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[Muizen2004-1] Muizon, C. de (2004). "The evolution of feeding adaptations of the aquatic sloth Thalassocnus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (2). Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: 398–410. doi:10.1671/2429b. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

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