Millions of years ago, the vast expanses of the earth belonged to animals, the appearance of which a modern person can hardly imagine, because they died out long ago, leaving behind only remains, according to which scientists painstakingly restore their appearance and habits. Once among the green bushes of South and North America, giant sloths megatheria roamed. Giant beasts the size of two elephants feasted on the succulent leaves from the tops of the trees. The giant sloth took out the greens without difficulty, rising on its hind legs. The modern relative of this giant seems in comparison with a tiny ball of fur hanging from a tree branch.
Finds of researchers and discoveries of scientists
For the first time, the remains of a giant sloth were discovered by Spanish colonists in 1789 in Argentina, not far from Buenos Aires. The indigenous people of Patagonia thought that the bones belonged to a huge mole. According to local legend, one day he crawled out of the ground and was killed by sunlight.
Viceroythe Spanish colony, the Marquis of Loreto immediately sent the bones to Madrid. In the capital, the scientist Jose Garriga took up research on the remains of the "mole". Already in 1796, he published a scientific work in which he described an ancient extinct animal.
Garriga compared it to an elephant, because the size of the South American beast was not inferior to him. However, his paws with huge feet were longer and heavier than elephants, and the shape of the skull, as the scientist noted in his work, resembled the head of a sloth.
Due to its impressive size, the animal was called "megatherium", which means "a huge beast". So he was named by the naturalist Georges Cuvier, looking at the images of the skeleton that the Spaniards sent to the Paris Academy of Sciences. The French scientist, like Jose Garriga, recognized the ancestor of the modern sloth in an unknown beast.
General hype around an extinct animal
Findings of researchers and discoveries of scientists have become a real sensation in Europe. Then the great German poet J. W. Goethe dedicated an entire essay to the giant sloth. Museums, in order to get his skeleton, were ready to give their entire annual budget. And the king of Spain, Carlos IV, demanded that this animal be delivered to Madrid. Moreover, the ruler was indifferent to whether it would be alive or dead. He naively believed that the New World, as America was then called, was still inhabited by megatheriums.
The excitement around them did not subside until the middle of the XIX century, when the remains of dinosaurs were found. During this time, many explorers visited Patagonia. In addition to the bones of Megatherium, there weretraces of it were found on the muddy banks of rivers, droppings, remains of skin and hair in caves. Due to the cold and dry climate of Patagonia, the remains were well preserved, which allowed paleontologists over time not only to recreate the appearance of the ancient beast, but also to describe its habits and diet.
The appearance of the giant sloth Megatheria
The giant sloth megatherium reached a height of three meters. Moreover, the growth of the animal doubled when it rose on its hind legs. A gigantic beast weighing four tons in this position was twice as tall as an elephant. This is partly due to the length of the sloth's body, which was six meters.
Megetherium was covered with thick wool, and under it was extremely dense skin. The skin of a giant sloth was strengthened by small bone plaques. Such a cover made Megatherium practically invulnerable. Even such a dangerous beast as a saber-toothed tiger could not harm him.
The giant sloth had a wide pelvis, powerful paws with sickle-shaped claws reaching a length of 17 cm, and an unusually thick tail that reached to the ground.
The animal's head was small compared to its massive body, and its muzzle was elongated.
How did giant sloths get around?
Megaterium did not climb trees like his modern descendant. Even Charles Darwin, who studied its remains in the 18th century, noted this feature of the animal in one of his works. The idea of the existence of plants seemed ridiculous to him,capable of withstanding such a giant.
Professor Richard Owen also participated in the study of the remains brought by Darwin from Patagonia to England. It was he who suggested that the megatherium moved along the earth. When walking, the giant sloth, like the modern anteater, relied not on the entire foot, but on its edge, so as not to cling to the ground with its claws. Because of this, he moved slowly and a little awkwardly.
Modern scientists say that Megatherium could walk on its hind legs. So, biomechanical studies conducted by A. Casino in 1996 showed that the structure of the skeleton allowed the giant sloth to move exclusively on them. However, the upright posture of this beast remains a controversial issue in the world of science to this day.
Features of nutrition of megatheriums
Megaterium belonged to edentulous mammals and fed mainly on vegetation. The structure of its upper jaw indicates that the beast had a long upper lip of impressive size, characteristic of herbivorous representatives of the animal world.
The giant ground sloth stood up on its hind legs, pulled tree branches to itself, cut off succulent leaves, as well as young shoots and ate them. His wide pelvis, massive feet and thick long tail served as a support for him and allowed him to feast on greens without any effort. Until recently, scientists were sure that the sloth tore off the leaves with the help of an unusually long tongue. However, modern research has shown that the structure of his jaw prevented the formation of muscles thatcould have kept him.
In addition to tree foliage, Megatherium also ate root crops. He dug them out of the ground using his long claws.
Could Megatherium be a predator?
Megaterium was supposedly part carnivore. In 2001, the scientist M. S. Bargo conducted a study of the dental apparatus of a giant sloth. It showed that he ate not only vegetable, but also meat food. The molars of the animal had a triangular shape and were quite sharp at the edges. With their help, the giant sloth was able to chew not only leaves, but also meat. Perhaps he varied his diet by eating carrion, taking prey from predators, or hunting himself.
Megaterium had fairly short olecranons, thanks to which his forelimbs became unusually agile. Carnivorous animals have a similar feature. Thus, the megatherium had sufficient power and speed to attack, for example, glyptodonts. In addition, the results of biomechanical analysis showed that the giant sloth could well use its long claws as a weapon in battles with other animals. However, many scientists find the idea of a carnivorous animal highly questionable.
Ancient Beast Lifestyle
Whether the Megatherium was aggressive or not, it had no enemies. A massive animal could move through forests and fields without fear for its life, both day and night.
Giant sloths, according to manyscientists, strayed into small groups. There is also an opposite point of view, according to which these animals were loners and settled in secluded caves separately, and individuals of different sexes were next to each other only during the period of mating and raising offspring.
When did Megatheria appear and where did they live?
As shown by radiocarbon analysis of the remains, now extinct mammals appeared on Earth about two million years ago, during the Pliocene epoch. Initially, giant sloths inhabited the meadow and wooded parts of South America. Later, they were able to adapt to areas with an arid climate. Researchers found animal bones not only in Argentina, but also in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. Part of the Megatherium presumably migrated to North America. This is evidenced by the remains of giant sloths found on the continent.
Possible causes of extinction of ancient animals
These fossils survived until the Pleistocene and became extinct about 8,000 years ago. About why this happened, scientists are still arguing. Many believe that animals could not endure climate change. However, the fact that for thousands of years the megateria successfully adapted to new conditions testifies to a different reason for their extinction, namely the appearance on the mainland of a man who ruthlessly exterminated the furry giants, hunting for their skins. Perhaps, because of the ancestors of the ancient Indians, Megatheria died out. However, a sharp decrease in the population and the subsequentthe extinction of the species could have affected both factors at once.
Legends of Surviving Megatheria
Legends come into dispute with science that the gigantic beast, the remains of which were once found by the Spaniards who explored the New World, is still alive. Like the mythical Bigfoot, he hides from human eyes. Rumor has it that giant sloths settled at the foot of the modern Andes. Of course, the version that an ancient extinct animal is still walking the expanses of South America is unconvincing, but this romantic idea excites the imagination of people, forcing them to look for irrefutable evidence of their own truth.
