page_title: Xenarthra
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Xenarthra / Classification
caption_attribution_description: Myrmecophaga tridactyla Dansk: Myresluter (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), Københavns Zoologiske Have, 2005. English: Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark, 2005.
context_page_description: Xenarthra is a major clade of placental mammals unique to the Americas. There are 31 living species: the anteaters, tree sloths, and armadillos. Extinct xenarthrans are the glyptodonts, the ground sloths, and the aquatic sloths. Xenarthrans originated in South America during the Paleocene about 59 million years ago. They evolved and diversified extensively in South America during the continent's long period of isolation in the early to mid Cenozoic Era. They spread to the Antilles by the early Miocene and, starting about 3 Mya, spread to Central and North America as part of the Great American Interchange. Nearly all of the formerly abundant megafaunal xenarthrans became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.
  Xenarthrans share several characteristics not present in other placental mammals, which suggest their ancestors were subterranean diggers for insects. The name Xenarthra derives from the two ancient Greek words ξένος, meaning "strange, unusual", and ἄρθρον, meaning "joint", and refers to their vertebral joints, which have extra articulations that are unlike other mammals. The ischium of the pelvis is also fused to the sacrum of the spine.
context_section_description: XENARTHRA
  Order Cingulata
  Family Chlamyphoridae: armadillos and glyptodonts
  Greater fairy armadillo, Calyptophractus retusus
  Pink fairy armadillo, Chlamyphorus truncatus
  Northern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous centralis
  Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous chacoensis
  Southern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous unicinctus
  Greater naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous tatouay
  Screaming hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus
  Big hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus villosus
  Andean hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus nationi
  Six-banded armadillo or yellow armadillo, Euphractus sexcinctus
  Giant armadillo, Priodontes maximus
  Southern three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes matacus
  Brazilian three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes tricinctus
  Pichi or dwarf armadillo, Zaedyus pichiy
  Subfamily †Glyptodontinae: glyptodonts
  Family Dasypodidae: long-nosed armadillos
  Nine-banded armadillo or long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus
  Seven-banded armadillo, Dasypus septemcinctus
  Southern long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus hybridus
  Llanos long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus sabanicola
  Great long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus kappleri
  Hairy long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus pilosus
  Yepes's mulita, Dasypus yepesi
  Family †Pampatheriidae: pampatheres
  Order Pilosa
  Suborder Folivora: sloths
  Family Bradypodidae: three-toed sloths
  Pygmy three-toed sloth, Bradypus pygmaeus
  Brown-throated three-toed sloth, Bradypus variegatus
  Pale-throated three-toed sloth, Bradypus tridactylus
  Maned three-toed sloth, Bradypus torquatus
  Family Megalonychidae: two-toed sloths and extinct megalonychid ground sloths
  Hoffman's two-toed sloth, Choloepus hoffmanni
  Linnaeus's two-toed sloth or southern two-toed sloth, Choloepus didactylus
  Family †Megatheriidae: megatheriid ground sloths
  Family †Mylodontidae: mylodontid ground sloths
  Family †Nothrotheriidae: nothrotheriid ground sloths and aquatic sloths
  Suborder Vermilingua: anteaters
  Family Cyclopedidae: silky anteaters
  Silky anteater, Cyclopes didactylus
  Family Myrmecophagidae: anteaters
  Giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla
  Northern tamandua, Tamandua mexicana
  Southern tamandua, Tamandua tetradactyla
caption: Giant anteater
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