GIANT GROUND SLOTH SKULL. ...

Description

GIANT GROUND SLOTH SKULL
Mylodon darwinii
Pleistocene
Rio Lujan, Uruguay
This unusual species of giant ground sloth is much less common than others, such as its distant relatives in the Glossotherium and Paramylodon genera, but the dry cold atmosphere of its resident Patagonia has allowed for the survival of some spectacularly well-preserved specimens of skin and hair, along with bones, such that early discoveries were presumed to be from a still-existing species. Despite speculation that these animals survived until at least the 16th century (in part based on the 1430 Chinese publication An Illustrated Record of Strange Countries), a lack of substantial evidence and the convincing dating of specimens to over 10,000 years old suggests otherwise. Nonetheless, reports from the late nineteenth century, and persistent oral evidence from hunters native to the area keep alive the fantastical possibility that this extraordinary prehistoric creature may yet survive, protected from discovery by the fact that its habitat is one of the most inhospitable areas in the world. The present skull beautifully displays the unusually large nasal cavity, indicating a very keen sense of smell, and the typically ground-down teeth of a herbivore whose primary sustenance was leaves on the lower branches of trees and bushes. About half of these teeth are in fact cast, and the skull is about 80% original bone with some cracks and gaps filled. It measures 19¼ x 13¾ inches and is displayed on a discrete metal and wood stand.

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