Thalassocnus

Thalassocnus antiquus | Procreate | 2024

Thalassocnus was a genus of ground sloth from South America that evolved to be increasingly marine from the Miocene through the Pliocene. The earliest species, Thalassocnus antiquus, was the least marine-adapted, likely sticking closer to the shore and shallows and eating sea grass that washed up. The latest species, Thalassocnus yuacensis, was the most marine-adapted. It had more mobile limbs better for swimming and denser bones (like modern manatees) that would have helped them stay submerged in deeper waters where they dug up seagrass. Their skulls also got longer and more spatulate as well as an overall increase in body size.