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Post by sordes on Apr 2, 2007 20:51:16 GMT
The Lesser Haitian ground sloth is a single species (S. comes) which probably resembeled Acratocnus. However, the genus is distinguished by a distinctive tubercle found midway down the femur shaft and a femoral neck which is less outwardly curved. It is thought to have weighed about 23 kg. Source: faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dmcfarlane/extinctmammals/mammals/synocnus.htmThe Synocnus was a form of ground sloth which was about the size of a medium-sized dog and weighed approximately about 50 pounds. This animal lived in Haiti. Synocnus was known to have a physical appearance not unlike that of a modern three-toed sloth, though with a longer tail and a broad trunk, as well as lissome limbs and long claws. This sloth was known for having caudal vertebrae that were broad, a trait shared with other ground sloths, indicating that this animal, like the tamandua of today, likely used its tail to stand upright. The teeth of the Synocnus were large and triangular, and its skull was deep and had a large, sagittal crest which, when used with the deep mandible, likely allowed masticatory muscles. The fossils of this sloth were found in Haitian cave deposits. It is conversely theorized that this sloth was killed off by humans seeking its pelt and meat. Currently, this species of sloth is being studied by students studying evolutionary history. Synocnus was known for being semi-arboreal. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SynocnusPicture: animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/Grzimek_mammals/Megalonychidae/Synocnus_comes.jpg/medium.jpg |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 3, 2007 7:16:13 GMT
Another member of the spectacular and extraordinairy sloth family, which became extinct very recently. Some bones were dated to an age of about 4300-4500 years. Further information: www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/102/33/11763.pdf |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 3, 2007 7:20:47 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 3, 2007 7:29:26 GMT
Hispaniola. Although several Holocene ‘‘whole bone’’ 14C dates have been reported for Haitian cave sites (40–42), these dates were not necessarily tied to individual taxa. For sloths, this task would have been difficult in do in any event, because Hispaniolan sloths were not revised systematically until recently (5). Nevertheless, a single ‘‘whole-bone’’ date (8,120 216 yr BP) on an assortment of sloth bones (42) provided the first evidence that phyllophagans had persisted into the Holocene on that island. Here, we report nine previously undescribed AMS 14C dates (Table 4) on sloth bones identified to species, all from limestone caves and sinkholes on the Haitian side of Hispaniola. Three of the seven sites are in the Massif de la Selle in southeastern Haiti; another three are on the Plain Formon of the Tiburon Peninsula (41). The seventh site, Trouing Gallery, is on Ile de la Tortue, 7.5 km off Haiti’s northern coast. As in Cuba, none of the dated Haitian sloth bones is associated with cultural features or artifacts. Seven of the nine AMS 14C dates are for bones of the ubiquitous small sloth Neocnus comes (Fig. 2). The two youngest dates (4,500 yr BP 5,000 cal BP) lie within the period of demonstrated human presence on Hispaniola (see Discussion and Conclusions). Four of the remaining five AMS 14C dates on N. comes also lie within the Holocene, which reinforces the evidence that at least one species of Hispaniolan sloth survived the glacial–interglacial transition. These localities also yielded remains of other species of extinct mammals, including the endemic Hispaniolan pitheciid platyrrhine monkey Antillothrix bernensis, which may have survived even later (42). www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/102/33/11763.pdf |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 3, 2007 7:48:53 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 3, 2007 8:17:18 GMT
Synocnus Paula Couto, 1967. Am. Mus. Novitates 2304: 35 TYPE SPECIES: Synocnus comes (Miller, 1929). SYNONYMS: Acratocnus [partim]. Synocnus comes (Miller, 1929). Smithson. Misc. Collect. 81 (9): 26 TYPE LOCALITY: Cueva Grande, Plantacion Atalaya, St.Michel, Haiti. DISTRIBUTION: La Hispaniola. digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/3233/1/N3248.pdf |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 19, 2007 7:10:11 GMT
The Synocnus was a form of ground sloth which was about the size of a medium-sized dog and weighed approximately about 50 pounds. This animal lived in Haiti. Synocnus was known to have a physical appearance not unlike that of a modern three-toed sloth, though with a longer tail and a broad trunk, as well as lissome limbs and long claws. This sloth was known for having caudal vertebrae that were broad, a trait shared with other ground sloths, indicating that this animal, like the tamandua of today, likely used its tail to stand upright. The teeth of the Synocnus were large and triangular, and its skull was deep and had a large, sagittal crest which, when used with the deep mandible, likely allowed masticatory muscles. The fossils of this sloth were found in Haitian cave deposits. It is conversely theorized that this sloth was killed off by humans seeking its pelt and meat. Currently, this species of sloth is being studied by students studying evolutionary history. Synocnus was known for being semi-arboreal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synocnus |
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Post by another specialist on Sept 6, 2007 22:46:52 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jun 22, 2008 17:46:57 GMT
 Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives By Charles A. Woods, Florence E. Sergile |
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Post by another specialist on Jun 25, 2008 7:45:42 GMT
Hispaniola. Although several Holocene "whole bone" 14C dates have been reported for Haitian cave sites (40–42), these dates were not necessarily tied to individual taxa. For sloths, this task would have been difficult in do in any event, because Hispaniolan sloths were not revised systematically until recently (5). Nevertheless, a single "whole-bone" date (8,120 ± 216 yr BP) on an assortment of sloth bones (42) provided the first evidence that phyllophagans had persisted into the Holocene on that island. Here, we report nine previously undescribed AMS 14C dates (Table 4) on sloth bones identified to species, all from limestone caves and sinkholes on the Haitian side of Hispaniola. Three of the seven sites are in the Massif de la Selle in southeastern Haiti; another three are on the Plain Formon of the Tiburon Peninsula (41). The seventh site, Trouing Gallery, is on Ile de la Tortue, 7.5 km off Haiti's northern coast. As in Cuba, none of the dated Haitian sloth bones is associated with cultural features or artifacts. www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/102/33/11763 |
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Post by another specialist on Jun 25, 2008 7:48:50 GMT
Seven of the nine AMS 14C dates are for bones of the ubiquitous small sloth Neocnus comes (Fig. 2). The two youngest dates (4,500 yr BP = 5,000 cal BP) lie within the period of demonstrated human presence on Hispaniola (see Discussion and Conclusions). Four of the remaining five AMS 14C dates on N. comes also lie within the Holocene, which reinforces the evidence that at least one species of Hispaniolan sloth survived the glacial–interglacial transition. These localities also yielded remains of other species of extinct mammals, including the endemic Hispaniolan pitheciid platyrrhine monkey Antillothrix bernensis, which may have survived even later (42). www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/102/33/11763 |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2008 11:06:50 GMT
The name should be Synocnus comes.
source:
David W. Steadman; Paul S. Martin; Ross D. E. MacPhee; A. J. T. Jull; H. Gregory McDonald; Charles A. Woods; Manuel Iturralde-Vinent; Gregory W. L. Hodgins: 'Asynchronous extinction of late Quaternary sloths on continents and islands' (2005)
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Post by another specialist on Dec 15, 2008 22:08:42 GMT
The name should be Synocnus comes. source: David W. Steadman; Paul S. Martin; Ross D. E. MacPhee; A. J. T. Jull; H. Gregory McDonald; Charles A. Woods; Manuel Iturralde-Vinent; Gregory W. L. Hodgins: 'Asynchronous extinction of late Quaternary sloths on continents and islands' (2005) Been renamed. |
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Post by surroundx on May 6, 2015 13:30:29 GMT
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Post by Peter on May 14, 2015 13:23:05 GMT
The name should be Synocnus comes. source: David W. Steadman; Paul S. Martin; Ross D. E. MacPhee; A. J. T. Jull; H. Gregory McDonald; Charles A. Woods; Manuel Iturralde-Vinent; Gregory W. L. Hodgins: 'Asynchronous extinction of late Quaternary sloths on continents and islands' (2005) Been renamed. "Synocnus" is not mentioned in that paper, so it cannot be the source. The paper names it "Neocnus comes". |
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Post by surroundx on May 14, 2015 13:33:55 GMT
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Post by Sebbe on Oct 24, 2015 10:06:27 GMT
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