Dental occlusal surface area in relation to food habits and other biologic features in fossil Xenarthrans

VIZCAÍNO, S.F., M.S. BARGO Y G.H. CASSINI

AMEGHINIANA

Asociación Paleontológica Argentina

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2006 vol. 3 p. 11 - 26

0002-7014

Abstract: The Xenarthra includes the most intriguing mammals from the Cenozoic of South America: the glyptodonts (Cingulata) and the ground sloths (Tardigrada). Their masticatory apparatuses are diverse and peculiar, with a strongly reduced, hypselodont dentition that lacks enamel and displays different degrees of lobation. The goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between dental occlusal surface area (OSA) and diet, and other physiological factors in fossil xenarthrans. Over one hundred and fifty specimens, including living herbivorous epitherians and both extinct and living xenarthrans, were measured and photographed, and their OSA estimated and plotted against body mass.  For most fossil xenarthrans OSA is smaller than expected for extant herbivorous mammals of equivalent body size. Within xenarthrans, cingulates show the highest OSA values, suggesting more extensive oral food processing than in tardigrades. Among ground sloths, mylodontids have extremely low OSA values, suggesting low efficiency in oral food processing that was probably compensated by high fermentation in the digestive tract, or lower metabolic requirements, or a combination of both adaptations. On the other hand, Megatherium americanum has an OSA expected for, or even higher than that of, a mammal of its size, which indicates higher oral food processing, lower fermentation capacity, and/or higher metabolic requirements.