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Facts and Knowledge:
The giant ground sloth lived in what is now South America. Taller than a modern day elephant, it became extinct as recently as five thousand years ago. The giant ground sloth resembled a huge bear, with a broad head, thick skin, and a dense shaggy coat of dark fur that gave it protection from predators. A slow moving vegetarian, it walked on all fours and used its long, sharp claws to tear up plants from the ground for food.
Habits: Little is known about the giant ground sloth, but we do know that it was big and powerful. When it stood on its hind legs, it was about twice the height of an elephant. Its very thick skin, which was covered with dense, heavy fur, protected it from predators. The giant ground sloth was a herbivorous animal that fed mainly on plants that grew on the ground. Its believed that the giant sloth lived in groups, but it may have lived singly in caves.
Food & Feeding: The giant ground sloth lived in the lightly wooded area s of South America, feeding on the leaves such as yuccas, agaves, and grasses. Eremotherium, close relative of the sloth, lived in more tropical environments further north. Pulling itself upright to sit on its haunches or to stand, the giant ground sloth balanced its weight with its tail. It then tugged at plans with is feet, digging them up with the five sharp claws on each foot. The sloth used its simple teeth to grind down food before swallowing it, and its highly developed cheek muscles helped in this process. The sloth's stomach was able to digest coarse and fibrous food. For millions of years, the slot had no enemies to bother it, so it was probably a day time feeder. It is likely that it spent alot of time resting to aid digestion.
Evolution: When the ancestors of the giant ground sloth became established in South America, the land bridge joining North and South America was submerged. The sloth and other edentates (simple toothed creatures) developed undisturbed and were unique to this part of the world. The edentate families looked very different but had certain things in common: Simple teeth and different numbers of vertebrae to provide varying degrees of spinal movement. nearly six millions years passed before the land dividing the continents appeared again. Some sloth's and other edentates then moved further north and became widespread before they disappeared completely. In the south the giant ground sloth flourished until about 10,00 years ago. The emergence of carnivores for its extinction. But the actual cause is unknown.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Length: Probably up to 20 ft from nose
to tip of tail.
Weight: Probably 3 tons
Breeding:
Mating Unknown
No of young: Unknown
Gestation: Unknown
Lifestyle:
Habit: Probably mostly solitary, although
some may have lived in groups.
Diet: Vegetarian, feeding on plants like
yucca and agaves.
Life span: Unknown
Other Giants: There are several types
of ground sloth, Megatherium being one of the largest. Others were
Eremotherium and Mylodon.
Distribution: Megatherium, the giant
ground sloth, live in the parts of South America that are now Brazil, Chile,
Argentina, and Uruguay. Related species moved to North America and
covered a wide range there for a few million years.
Skeletal Details of the Giant Ground Sloth
Size: On all fours the sloth appeared
to be about the same size as an elephant.
Vertebrae: Extra spinal joints provided
great flexiblility and strength.
Tail: The sloth ued its tail for
balance, particarly when standing on its hind legs.
Claws: Each foot had five sharp
claws used to dig up plants to eat.
Hind Legs: When standing upright
on its powerful hind legs, the sloth could reach up to pull leaves from
the trees.