An extinct genus of ground sloth from South America, known from fossil remains and named for its unusual tongue structure.
From Greek 'glōssa' (tongue) and 'therium' (beast, animal). The fossil sloth was named Glossotherium because of distinctive features of its tongue bones or hyoid structure, which were considered unusually developed.
Scientists named an extinct sloth after its tongue because this ancient creature had such an odd-shaped bone there—showing how even in extinction, animals are remembered by their strangest features.
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