Ground sloth vertebrae identification through multivariate analysis

Extinct sloths (Xenarthra, Folivora) are morphologically diverse, despite some similarities among some Pleistocene genera. Cranial and diagnostic postcranial elements (especially limb bones) are taxonomically informative but the axial postcranial skeleton can prove difficult to classify, as in cases with only vertebral remains or when closely related taxa are found together. Here, 24 linear and angular measurements of presacral axial skeletons...