[8] The subdivision of Antillean sloths into several subfamilies has been interpreted as implying at least a diphyletic origin for them, requiring two or more separate colonization events;[9] however, the molecular results indicate the group is monophyletic.
[2][3] In addition to the Greater Antillean sloths, some other pilosans are still extant on islands close to the Central and South American mainland.
[11] The genera of Caribbean pilosans are classified as follows (with extinct taxa designated by the dagger, †):[12] Cuba is the largest of the Greater Antilles.
Only one sloth is known from the Quaternary of Puerto Rico, the easternmost of the Greater Antilles; another species is known from much older, Oligocene, sediments.
Despite its small size, it supports two mammal species found nowhere else: the bat Dermanura watsoni incomitata and the only extant Caribbean sloth.