When Sloths Were 20 Feet Tall

[Music] a majestic creature the size of an elephant who could stand on two legs to make one of the most intimidating mammals in history a superb underground tunnel builder whose legacy remains 10 000 years after its demise a giant version of one of the most beloved animals in the americas this is the giant ground sloth hey i'm talia louie mary and you're watching paleologic we spend a lot of time on this channel talking about plants and animals but we want to make sure that we aren't forgetting our viewers either so let's take a moment to talk about mental health if you've been having trouble sleeping managing relationships or even just low self-esteem you're not alone i'm often staying up late thinking about all the projects i have to juggle on a daily basis today's sponsor betterhelp is here to help you betterhelp offers licensed therapists who are trained to listen and help you through your toughest moments there are more than 20 000 therapists in the betterhelp network giving you access to help that might not normally be available in your area you can talk to a therapist in private online at your convenience and they offer a broad range of expertise just fill out a questionnaire to help assess your specific needs and you'll be matched with a therapist in under 48 hours you can then schedule a video or phone session and exchange unlimited messages everything you share is completely confidential and if you'd like you can request a new therapist at any time at no additional charge get 10 off your first month at betterhelp.com animal logic and join more than two million people who have taken charge of their mental health when you think of a sloth you probably picture a furry tree dweller who lives its life in slow motion these cute little guys look kind of pathetic when walking on the ground but not too long ago there were species that commanded the plains of south america with the gravitas of an african elephant these were the giant ground sloths these majestic creatures lived in the pleistocene from about 3.5 million to 10 000 years ago they lived in the same ecosystems as the terror birds the thylacosmis and glyptodons during a time when south america was an isolated island continent and mammals grew to massive sizes the largest of the giant ground sloths was the megatherium members of this genus could be up to six meters long and weigh up to four tons roughly the same as an african elephant during their reign in the pleistocene mammoths were the only land mammals larger than them there were at least six megatherium species and several others from related genera but they have all disappeared their closest living relative is the famously chill three-toed sloth at the time there were no predators nearly large enough to take them on so once they reached their mature size they could comfortably walk around the south american grasslands without fear if anything it was the carnivores looking to snatch up a baby ground sloth that were afraid megatherium had five 15 centimeter long claws on each front paw that could easily gut any potential predator these were not creatures you would mess around with because of their dagger hands they had to walk with their feet turned inwards their distant cousin the giant anteater does the same to protect its claws and itself unlike other giant animals ground sloths weren't satisfied with just ruling their stomping grounds they also needed to rule the underground they used their massive strength and heavy duty claws to dig immense tunnels called paleo burrows which are thought to have been used for shelter and possibly even breeding some caves were over 250 meters long and were thought to have been about 2 meters tall and 1 meter wide it would have been a tight squeeze but it would have provided some security during the animal's most vulnerable period now they look much wider because of erosion after their extinction some of those caves were used by people as shelter so thanks giant ground sloths for providing one of the earliest known forms of public housing there is still a bit of uncertainty around which species made these tunnels and according to some researchers they could have been built by smaller ground slots or even by gigantic armadillos but given their size giant ground sloths are still considered the most likely builders of the caves there is also uncertainty on how the megatherium looked most depictions show them as furry giants which makes sense considering what their modern day cousins look like but given their size and the areas where they lived it might have been hard to keep cool if they were woolly modern giants such as elephants rhinos and hippos are hairless due to their low surface area to volume ratio elephants even have giant ears to help them release excess heat so it's very possible that they look like a giant version of a fat hairless cat but unlike cats these behemoths likely had no interest in meaty treats their teeth were similar to those of cows and horses only bigger and they were used to grind gritty fibrous plants some of those plants were found on the ground but they also got food from trees despite their huge size they were able to stand on their hind legs and use their thick tail for balance essentially making a tripod they were likely to have been able to walk on their hind legs for short distances some scientists have suggested that they could have eaten carrion as a way to supplement their plant-based diet but so far there's no evidence that this was the case like most of the giant south american animals of the pleistocene the arrival of north american animals during the great american interchange began a downward trend for ground sloths that eventually led to extinction but for a while they were resilient and were some of the most successful animals that moved to north america fossils of the closely related eremotherium have been found as far north as north carolina finally it was a changing climate and the growth of human populations in the americas that doomed these marvelous creatures giant ground sloth bones with evidence of butchering have been found in argentina so it's clear that humans played a part in their demise the last giant ground sloth died roughly ten thousand years ago but they left us thousands of caves that still bear their claw marks if you're ever in south america see if you can find a cave nearby it could be one of the most direct ways of appreciating the grandeur of these pleistocene animals [Music] so what should we talk about next please let me know in the comments and don't forget to subscribe for new episodes every week thanks for coming along on this journey through time i'll see you later

Channel: Animalogic

Views: 276,375

Keywords: animals, animal, logic, education, animalogic, crazy, ugly, weird, gross, beautiful, interesting, facts, about, information, info, school, research, learn, learning, smart, 4k, nature documentary, nature doc, floralogic, second nature, ground sloth, giant ground sloth, megatherium, Eremotherium, sloths, sloth, south america, giant sloth, lost giant, lost giant king, ancient, prehistoric, paleologic, paleontology, dinosaur, history, south, america

Id: cE7itphjiZk

Length: 8min 12sec (492 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 08 2022