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Megatheriidae is a family of Extinction that lived from approximately 23 Annum—11,000 years ago. Paleobiology Database: Megatheriidae
Megatheriids appeared during the Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification), some 29 million years ago, in South America. The group includes the largest known ground sloths, the elephant sized Megatherium (given its name 'great beast' by Georges CuvierG. Cuvier (1796)) and Eremotherium. An early genus that was originally considered a megatheriid, the more slightly built Hapalops, reached a length of about . The nothrotheres have recently been placed in their own family, Nothrotheriidae.
The skeletal structure of these ground sloths indicates that the animals were massive. Their thick and even thicker (especially those on the hind legs) gave their appendages tremendous power that, combined with their size and fearsome , provided a formidable defense against predators.
The earliest megatheriid in North America was Sibotherium which arrived 5.3 million years ago, after crossing the recently formed land bridge. At more than five tons in weight, in length, and able to reach as high as , Eremotherium when fully erect was taller than an African bush elephant bull. Unlike relatives, this species retained a extra claw. While other species of Eremotherium had four fingers with only two or three claws, E. eomigrans had five fingers, four of them with claws up to nearly long.De Iuliis and Cartelle (1999)
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