Record of the giant sloth Valgipes bucklandi (Lund, 1839) (Tardigrada, Scelidotheriinae) in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, with notes on taphonomy and paleoecology

This paper presents the first record of the species Valgipes bucklandi in Rio Grande do Norte state, in the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR). This occurrence extends the distribution of this taxon in the BIR. Taphonomic information recovered from this finding indicated that the carcass was probably exposed in a hot and dry environment, whereas carbon isotope data revealed that V. bucklandi had a browser diet (δ13C = −10.17‰), living in more closed environments.

► New occurrence of Valgipes bucklandi in Brazil.
► Expansion of its distribution in Brazilian Intertropical Region.
► Habitat and paleoecology information of this species.