EDEHTA.TA. 



313 



Oed. EDENTATA. 



Bruta in part, Linnseus. 



Nd teeth in the front of the jaws in any, and altogether wanting in 

 some. Toes with large, curved, and often compressed, claws. 



The Edentata are not uniformly toothless, except the Ant-eaters and 

 the Pangolins, but they never have any iucisors or teeth in the front of their 

 jaws, and the molars, when present, are mono-phyodont, i. e., are never 

 displaced by a second series, but are without enamel or distinct roots, 

 having a hollow base, and growing continually. Their huge claws are some- 

 thing of the nature of hoofs. Mr. Fry considers that the Edentata are in 

 many points of their structure nearly related to Reptiles, in opposition to 

 Owen, who stated that they offered several relations to Birds.* 



They are divided into two groups, the Tardigrada, or Sloths ; and the 

 Effodientia or Burrowers. 



The former consists of a single family, the BEADYPODiD.a:, or Sloths. 

 These are peculiar to America, and live entirely on vegetable matter. . They 

 have a short face, sharp canines, and cylindrical molars. Their toes are 

 completely joined by the skin, their fore limbs longer than their hind ex- 

 tremities, the pelvis large, and the thighs directed outwards. They have 

 huge claws. They have two pectoral mammas. They are evidently made for 

 hanging on the branches of trees, and their long arms are of use to gather 

 the leaves on which they browze. They have long and shaggy hair. 

 Some have three claws on their fore-feet, others only two. Their stomach 

 is enormous and divided into four compartments ; the intestines are short, 

 and there is no coecum. They are only found in the forests of the warmer 

 regions of South America. 



The Effodientia have the muzzle long and narrow. They are divided 

 into the following families: — Dasypodidae, or Armadillos; and Orycteropo- 

 didce, or Cape Ant-eaters, both with molar teeth ; and the Mymiecophagidee 

 and ManididcB, or the Ant-eaters of the new and old world, respectively, 

 without any teeth at all. 



The Armadillos (Dasypodidjb) are covered with a scaly and bony shell 

 divided more or less into compartments ; the muzzle is tolerably long ; the 

 molars cylindrical, 7 or 8 on each side in both jaws ; large ears, and great 

 claws, 4 or 5 on the fore-feet, always 5 posteriorly. The tongue is but 



• Proceedings Zool, Boc., 1846, 



2 s 



