Search the Internet with Kids.Net.Au
Encyclopedia > Xenarthra
Article Content
Xenarthra
The order Xenarthra or Edentata is a group
of placental mammals, extant today only in the Americas.
It includes the following families:
- Myrmecophagidae (anteater)
- Megalonychidae (two toed sloth)
- Bradypodidae (three toed sloth)
- Dasypodidae (armadillo)
The order was originally called Edentata, meaning toothless, because the members do not have front incisor teeth or molars, or have poorly-developed molars. It is now called Xenarthra, meaning strange joints, because their vertebral joints are unlike those of all other mammals.
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
|
Search Encyclopedia
|
Featured Article
|
|
|