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Megatherium
| Scientific Classification |
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Megatherium was a giant ground sloth. That from the late
Pliocene epoch to the early Holocene, between about 2 million
and 8,000 years ago. It is believed to have gone extinct
as a result of hunting by humans.
Megatherium weighed around 5 tons,
and was 20 feet (6 meters) tall when standing on its hind limbs.
It is believed to have stood on its hind legs, using its tail
for support as a tripod, and used its front limbs to pull down
branches from which it would have eaten leaves. It was probably
also equpped with a long tongue.
Megatherium probably most ate leaves, but may also have hunted
or scavenged meat as well - there is for eaxmple, some
suggestion that it could have used its claws as daggers.
One possibility is that Megatherium could have scavenged
kills made by
Smilodon.
Another possibility is that Megatherium may have hunted
Glyptodonts
- a number of fossils of
Glyptodonts
have been showing the creature apparently dying on its back, and
the only creature in the habitat that could have flipped over a
Glyptodont,
is Megatherium.
Click here for more Megatherium Pictures
Megatherium was a giant ground sloth that lived between 2 million and 8,000 years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Megatherium Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
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By Juan Pimentel
Harvard University Press
Released: January 9th, 2017
Hardcover (368 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $29.95*
In Stock.*
*(As of 16:39 Pacific 16 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Rhinoceros and the Megatherium: An Essay in Natural History- Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
- Brand: Harvard University Press
- ISBN: 0674737121
- EAN: 9780674737129
- PartNumber: 9780674737129
Details:- Hardcover
- Format: Illustrated
- Edition: Illustrated
- Number of Pages: 368
- Author: Juan Pimentel
- Publication Date: January 9th, 2017
- Release Date: January 9th, 2017
Physical Description:- Size: 8.3 Inches by 5.8 Inches by 1.2 Inches
- Weight: 1.24340715768 Pounds
Click here for more information |
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By Adrian Lister
Smithsonian Books
Released: April 24th, 2018
Silver Paperback (160 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $19.95*
In Stock.*
*(As of 16:39 Pacific 16 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Darwin's Fossils: The Collection That Shaped the Theory of Evolution- Manufacturer: Smithsonian Books
- Brand: Smithsonian Books
- ISBN: 158834617X
- EAN: 9781588346179
Details:- Paperback
- Edition: Illustrated
- Number of Pages: 160
- Author: Adrian Lister
- Publication Date: April 24th, 2018
- Release Date: April 24th, 2018
Physical Description:- Size: 9.1 Inches by 6.8 Inches by 0.6 Inches
- Weight: 1.4 Pounds
- Color: Silver
Click here for more information |
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![On the Megatherium (Megatherium americanum, Blumenbach). Part I. Preliminary observations on the exogenous processes of vertebrae 1851 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ByqlR22kL._SL160_.jpg)
