Animals Of The Stone Age: A List Of Stone Age Animals With Pictures & Facts
Megatherium
Megatherium ground sloth
Where found: South America
Megatherium was a giant ground sloth that lived in South America. It belonged to the same group, Xenarthra, that contains living sloths, anteaters and armadillos, and extinct animals such as Glyptodon, also included in this list of stone-age animals.
Megatherium Americanum, the largest species of Megatherium, grew to lengths of up to 6 m / 20 ft., and would have weighed up to 4 tonnes / 4.41 short tons.
Unlike living sloths, Megatherium didn’t climb trees; it would simply have pulled branches towards its mouth with its powerful arms. Although Megatherium is often depicted with hair, some paleontologists think that it would have been hairless, like an elephant, to prevent overheating.
Megatherium ground sloth
Where found: South America
Megatherium was a giant ground sloth that lived in South America. It belonged to the same group, Xenarthra, that contains living sloths, anteaters and armadillos, and extinct animals such as Glyptodon, also included in this list of stone-age animals.
Megatherium Americanum, the largest species of Megatherium, grew to lengths of up to 6 m / 20 ft., and would have weighed up to 4 tonnes / 4.41 short tons.
Unlike living sloths, Megatherium didn’t climb trees; it would simply have pulled branches towards its mouth with its powerful arms. Although Megatherium is often depicted with hair, some paleontologists think that it would have been hairless, like an elephant, to prevent overheating.
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18 January 2024
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