Re: Aquatic ground sloth (was Re: Leedsichthys)

[SL Nyveen <lawrence@dsuper.net>]

At 6:29 -0400 21/9/98, Pieter.Depuydt@rug.ac.be wrote:

>Seems pretty serious.
>
>Thalassocnus natans was descibed in 1995 on the basis of abundant and
>well preserved remains from marine Pliocene sediments of Peru (Pisco
>Formation, Early Pliocene). T. natans was a medium sized (skull 20cm)
>ground sloth, most closely related to Nothrotherium and
>Nothrotheriops.  Aquatic, at least semi-aquatic habits, are suggested
>by the taphonomy of the fossils: very abundant and complete skeletons
>occur in a typical marine assemblage, together with fish, crocodiles,
>birds (penguins) and dolphins: this assemblage was probably deposited
>in a beach environment, while the coast itself was a desert.
>The anatomy of the animal is consistent with aquatic habits, with
>the ground sloth bauplan showing some adaptations in the hind limb
>and tail. It's diet may have consisted of sea grasses. See: C. de
>Muizon and H.G McDonald 1995: An aquatic sloth from the Pliocene of
>Peru. Nature 375, p 224-227.
>
>Evolution moves in mysterious ways.

Coincidentally, I saw a montage of naature video clips on TV last night.
Ome was a sloth swimming!

The shot was taken with an underwater camera, and the animal seemed
unusually graceful.  It moved much quicker than it does on land - propelled
primarily by a dogpaddle-like motion of the forelimb.  It reminded me of a
paddlewheeler.


Laurie Nyveen                                  lawrence@dsuper.net
__________________________________________________________________
Editor, Netsurfer Digest - <http://www.netsurf.com/nsd/index.html>
DNRC Minister of Adding "ue" to Words That End in "log"
"All we are, basically, are monkeys with car keys."
                             - Grandma Woody (Northern Exposure)