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Sloths are represented today only by two distantly-related small, arboreal, and folivorous genera. However, the fossil record of the clade is composed of many more taxa, with much more diverse morphologies, including giant terrestrial forms with no clear modern analogs. In this context, several approaches have been implemented in order to explore the ecological adaptations of fossil taxa and, in particular, their dietary preferences. In this work we used 3D Finite Elements Analysis (FEA) coupled with Geometric Morphometrics (GMM) to explore the ecomorphology of sloths and possible differences among taxa related to dietary adaptations. Digital models of the mandibles of 14 taxa were obtained (two extant and twelve extinct), representing members of all the major clades within the group. We modeled the actions of the three major muscles involved in mastication (masseter, temporalis, and pterygoideus) and …