| Schismotherium Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pilosa |
| Superfamily: | Megatherioidea |
| Genus: | † Schismotherium Ameghino, 1887 |
| Type species | |
| Schismotherium fractum Ameghino, 1887 | |
| Other species | |
| |
Schismotherium is an extinct genus of megatherioid sloth that lived during the Santacrucian South American land mammal age of the Miocene epoch.
The type specimen of Schismotherium fractum was lost since its description, leading to the specimen MACN-A 6445–6470 being designated as the neotype. [1]
Schismotherium had very good sound localisation capabilities and is suggested to have had good binocular vision, which may indicate that it was an arboreal animal. Its sensory capabilities may also be indicative of it being a social animal that used high-frequency short-range vocalisations such as predator alarms to communicate with other members of its family group or herd. [2]