Revealing bone diseases in the Quaternary ground sloth Eremotherium laurillardi (Mammalia, Xenarthra)

ABSTRACT

We performed a macroscopic and radiological inspection in a set of bones belonging to the fossil mammal assemblage of Zabelê Paleontological Site (Late Pleistocene-Northgrippian), in northeastern Brazil. Radiological analyzes were carried out using conventional X-ray and X-ray microtomography (µCT) equipment. This study revealed four different types of diseases (calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease – CPPD, infection, trauma and tendon avulsion) restricted to the giant ground sloth E. laurillardi (5.36% of MNI) and in an indeterminate mammal species. The apparent restriction to E. laurillardi is related to taphonomic/palaeoecological bias. The data expand the number of occurrences of diseases in xenarthras species.

KEYWORDS:

• Bone diseases
• Megafauna
• Eremotherium laurillardi
• Quaternary
• South America

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) under Grant [number 93647662291]; HIAJr thanks to the financial supports provided by FAPERJ (process nº E-26/203.176/2017), CNPq (process nº 301405/2018-2) and UERJ (Prociência grant – registration nº 38944-5); City Hall and the Department of Culture of the Capoeiras city (PE) for the logistical support and access to machines used during excavation. We are grateful to A.W.V. Medeiros and J.L.B. Rodrigues (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte) for the help with image acquisition.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [301405/2018-2]; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior [93647662291]; Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro [E-26/203.176/2017]; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro [38944-5].