Edentata (also known as Xenarthra) is an order of placental mammals that includes anteaters, armadillos, and sloths. These New World animals (from the Americas) all lack front teeth; some have enamel-less cheek teeth. These animals have two or three very long fingers on each hand.

Edentata means "toothless." Xenarthra means "strange joint."

This order is divided into three suborders (and four families):

• Suborder Pilosa (5 species of sloths)
  • Family Megalonychidae (two-toed sloths)
  • Family Bradypodidae (three toed sloths)
• Suborder Vermilingua (3 species of anteaters)
  • Family Myrmecophagidae
• Suborder Cingulata (20 species of armadillos)
  • Family Dasypodidae

ANTEATER Anteaters are mammals with very long snouts from South and Central America.

ARMADILLO An armadillo is a small, burrowing, armored mammal.

DOEDICURUS Doedicurus (family Glyptodontidae) was an ancient armadillo with a tail mace. It lived during the Ice Ages.

GLYPTODON Glyptodon was a car-sized armadillo that lived during the Ice Ages.

SLOTH A sloth is a slow-moving mammal that lives hanging upside-down from trees in South America.

THREE-TOED SLOTH The three-toed sloths (Genus Bradypus) are a genus of sloths with three toes.