Unknown SLOTH-like animal of South America.
Etymology: From the Tehuelche su (“cloak”) +
carrath (“skin”).
Variant name: Su.
Physical description: Long tail.
Behavior: Carries its young on its back and
shields them with its tail. Hunted by Indians,
who made cloaks of its skin.
Habitat: Riverbanks.
Distribution: Southern Argentina; Chile.
Present status: Probably extinct since the late
Middle Ages.
Possible explanation: Could represent a surviving
Patagonian cave-dwelling sloth (Mylodon
darwinii ), subfossil remains of which are known
from the Cueva del Milodón in southern Chile.
Its thick skin may have been prized by the Indians
as armor.