Elasmotheriops americanum is an extinct genus of prehistoric anteater that lived in North America during the Late Pleistocene epoch, between approximately 1.8 million and 11,000 years ago. It is believed to have been closely related to the modern anteaters found in South and Central America. Elasmotheriops was a large animal, standing up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall at the shoulder, and weighing up to 900 kg (2,000 pounds). It had a long snout, powerful jaws, and a sticky tongue, which it used to extract ants and termites from their nests. Unlike modern anteaters, which walk on their knuckles, Elasmotheriops had a more conventional gait, with its weight borne on the soles of its feet. Elasmotheriops likely went extinct as part of the larger wave of extinctions that occurred at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, which saw the disappearance of many large mammals, including mammoths, sabre-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths. The causes of these extinctions are still debated by scientists, but may have included a combination of climate change, overhunting by humans, and other factors. Despite its size and unusual appearance, Elasmotheriops is relatively poorly known, with only a few fossils having been found. However, these fossils provide important clues about the diversity of mammals that once roamed North America, and help to fill in gaps in our understanding of the evolutionary history of anteaters and other mammals.
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