Southern maned sloth
| Southern maned sloth | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Suborder: | Folivora |
| Family: | Bradypodidae |
| Genus: | Bradypus |
| Species: | B. crinitus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bradypus crinitus J. E. Gray, 1850
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| Southern maned sloth range | |
The southern maned sloth (Bradypus crinitus) is a species of three-toed sloth.
Description
[edit]The southern maned sloths have flatter skulls, rounder jaws, and wider cheekbones than the northern maned sloths.[2] The species has a head that looks like a coconut.
Distribution
[edit]The sloth is endemic to Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a highly biodiverse region. Southern maned sloths were found in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.[3]
Discovery
[edit]The species was discovered by John Edward Gray in 1850, but his assertions were later dismissed, with taxonomists agreeing that the specimen, that Gray described was a B. torquatus, but the new study proves that B. critinus does indeed exist.[2] The B. crinitus separated from B. torquatus in the north by more than 4 million years of evolution.[4] B.torquatus and B. crinitus are allopatrically distributed that diverged during the Early Pliocene (period of global cooling).[5]
Name
[edit]The sloth received Gray's old name, Bradypus crinitus.[4] The name crinitus means 'hairy', referring to its coconut-like head.[6]
Conservation status
[edit]In March 2025, the IUCN Red List evaluated the southern maned sloth as Endangered, noting its decreasing population.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Santos, P.; Chiarello, A.; Miranda, F.; Moraes-Barros, N. (2025). "Bradypus crinitus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2025 e.T237133936A237141184. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS.T237133936A237141184.en.
- ^ a b "New Species Of Coconut Headed Sloth Identified In Brazilian Jungle". IFLScience. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ "New Animal Species Discovered | Conservation & Wildlife". 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ a b "Newly recognised species of sloth has a head like a coconut". New Scientist. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ Miranda, Flavia R.; Garbino, Guilherme S. T.; Machado, Fabio A.; Perini, Fernando A.; Santos, Fabricio R.; Casali, Daniel M. (19 September 2022). "Taxonomic revision of maned sloths, subgenus Bradypus (Scaeopus), Pilosa, Bradypodidae, with revalidation of Bradypus crinitus Gray, 1850". Journal of Mammalogy. 104 (1): 86–103. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyac059.
- ^ "Top 15 species discoveries from 2022 (Photos)". Mongabay Environmental News. 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Southern maned sloth at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Southern maned sloth at Wikispecies
