Uncle Siphuncle Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Guys I hit a remote honey hole this past weekend and came up with a sloth claw (see attached image). Any idea of the genus and species? I'd guess Megalonyx jeffersonii or Nothrotheriops sp., but I'm not sure how these claws vary in form with anatomical position. I found one M. jeffersonii claw last year which was more slender in profile but thicker in cross section than this new core which is higher in profile and much thinner in cross section. Any and all replies welcome. 1 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 GuysI hit a remote honey hole this past weekend and came up with a sloth claw (see attached image). Any idea of the genus and species? I'd guess Megalonyx jeffersonii or Nothrotheriops sp., but I'm not sure how these claws vary in form with anatomical position. I found one M. jeffersonii claw last year which was more slender in profile but thicker in cross section than this new core which is higher in profile and much thinner in cross section. Any and all replies welcome. Nice find, Dan, and a good image! You ask for another difficult ID. I think this claw is probably from the "hand," laterally compressed and hook-shaped (originally) as it is--a big slashing-hooking claw on the hand. Foot claws, I believe, tend to be dorso-ventrally compressed. Nothrotheriops is a small sloth, notable for its laterally-compressed claw cores, so you may be on the right track. Your claw core is not inconsistent with the complete specimen illustrated on pp. 56 of Frank Kocsis' book, VERTEBRATE FOSSILS: A NEOPHYTE'S GUIDE. Frank gives the dimensions of the illustrated claw core at 5.75" long x 2.63" high x 1.5" thick. OTOH, a visit to a museum's comparative collection is always a good idea to confirm an ID. Way to go! --------Harry Pristis 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 nice find dan!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 I figured you guys would approve! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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