THE GIANT GROUND SLOTH
lived in what is now South America. It was taller than a modern day elephant. 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 vegetarian, it walked on all fours and used its long, sharp claws to tear up plants from the ground for food. When the ancestors of the giant ground sloth became established in South America, the land bridge joining North & South America was submerged. The sloth and other simple toothed creatures or edentates 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 many degrees of spinal movement. Nearly 6 million years passed before the land dividing the continents appeared again. Some edentates then move further north and became widespread before they disappeared completly. In the south the giant ground sloth lived until about 10,000 years ago.The Giant Ground Sloth fed on leaves of ground plants and trees. The emergence of carnivores was probably not responsible for its extinction. The reason is still a mystery. |
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