Soft tissue recovery from giant fossil sloths (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Pilosa) of the central area of the Department of Yoro, Honduras

Abstract

The microstructural study of fossils has grown significantly in the last two decades. The recovery of soft tissues and fragments of molecules from the demineralization of fossil bones has been reported by several authors opening new routes in the study of fossils. The purpose of this study was to explore the recovery of soft tissues of fossil skeletal remains of giant sloths recently collected in the central area of the Department of Yoro, Honduras. Fragments of cancellous bone were demineralized using EDTA, from which remains of an apparent blood vessel were recovered, and in addition, osteocytes and probable remains of red blood cells were observed under the microscope. The results show soft tissues of the cancellous bone tissue, preserved in the middle of the environmental conditions that induced the fossilization of the bones, representing a potential source for future cellular and molecular studies, as well as questions about its conservation through time.