The order
Pilosa is a group of
placental mammals, extant today only in the Americas. It includes the
anteaters and
sloths, including the extinct
ground sloths, which went extinct about 20,000 years ago. The name comes from the
Latin word for "hairy". Pilosans are good examples of ecological harmony. Anteaters, for example, feed lightly and for a short time at any one ant nest, allowing the colony to regrow easily. Also, sloths' fur is home to many insects, as well as a type of algae that helps camouflage the sloths.