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Extinct species

Giant Ground Sloth

Megatherium americanum Cuvier, 1796

Giant Ground Sloth, photo by Ballista
Photo: Ballista·source·CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

kingdom
Animalia
phylum
Chordata
class
Mammalia
order
Pilosa
family
Megatheriidae
genus
Megatherium
species
Megatherium americanum

Where and when

Range
South America
Habitat
Open woodland, grassland, and scrub across South American lowlands.
Lived
Pleistocene · about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago

Facts

  • Type: Giant plant-eating terrestrial mammal

    Source

  • Size: Could weigh around four tonnes

    Source

  • Posture: Could rear onto its hind limbs and stand about 3.5 metres tall

    Source

  • Diet: Likely browsed on moderate-to-soft vegetation rather than grinding tough grasses

    Source

  • Habitat: Evidence suggests browsing in relatively open terrestrial habitats

    Source

  • Time context: Lived late enough to overlap in time with early humans

    Source
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