10-foot-tall sloths with ‘large' teeth roamed modern-day Kansas. Now bones found
A partial skull of the extinct sloth, known as Megalonyx jeffersonii, was found in Ellis County on the Great Plains, according to a study published May 26 in the peer-reviewed journal Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science.
The partial skull was made up mostly of braincase, and it provided a 'better understanding of the distribution of this species in Kansas,' the study said.
The ground sloth was 'a large, heavily built animal' with 'a large skull with blunt snout, massive jaw, well-developed chewing muscles, and large, blunt, peg-like teeth,' according to the Illinois State Museum.
Unlike modern-day sloths that typically stay in trees, this sloth spent most of its time on the ground, walking on its flat feet and at times standing on its hind legs, the Illinois State Museum reported.
They had 'very large claws on their forelimbs' and were 'covered with thick hair,' the museum said.
The age of the partial skull was not able to be determined, but because of its presence in the Peoria Loess sediment deposit, it's believed to be from the late Wisconsian between 21,000 and 12,000 years before present.
The research team included H. Gregory McDonald, Laura E. Wilson and Melissa Macias
Ellis County is about a 170-mile drive northwest from Wichita.
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New York Post
23-07-2025
- New York Post
Florida utility crew accidentally unearths massive claw belonging to 11,000-year-old giant ground sloth named by Thomas Jefferson
A utility crew digging a trench in Florida came across a fossilized part of an 11,000-year-old giant ground sloth that was originally named by Thomas Jefferson. The team in Florida's Manatee County was excavating to install a waterline when they encountered what they believed was just an ordinary tool buried in the Earth. 4 A utility crew in Florida found part of a giant ground sloth fossil. Manatee County Government 'They were digging away and found what they thought was an ordinary tool,' Charlie Hunsicker, the director of Manatee County's Natural Resources Department, told Fox 13. The tool turned out to be a fossilized claw from a giant ground sloth, an 800-pound behemoth that lived during the tail end of the Great Ice Age. 4 The claw belonged to a medium-sized Megalonyx jeffersonii. Manatee County Government 'This was a wonderful story of happenstance,' Hunsicker said. The giant ground sloth was given its scientific name, Megalonyx jeffersonii, by Jefferson, the US's third president, in 1797 after some fossils belonging to the extinct beast were found in a cave in West Virginia, according to the Sloth Sanctuary. The ones dubbed by Jefferson are medium-sized compared to other ground sloths, primarily being smaller than the much larger Megatherium, Hunsicker explained. 'When South America and North America joined, those animals migrated up through Texas, Mexico and into the Southeast. All of this was really a tropical jungle and forest at the time,' he told Fox 13. 4 The Megalonyx jeffersonii was named by Thomas Jefferson. auntspray – The largest ground sloths could weigh up to a staggering 8,000 pounds and stand 13 feet tall. The mammal had a blunt snout and a large jaw riddled with peg-like teeth. It was able to stand on its hind legs on occasion to eat high-up plants but could also shred any enemy with its three sharp claws, according to Sloth Sanctuary. The Florida fossil was brought to a nearby science and nature museum to be properly preserved and eventually placed on display. 4 The largest of the ground sloths could weigh up to 8,000 pounds. auntspray – Very few ground sloth fossils have been discovered on the East Coast. The majority are primarily found in states along the Rocky Mountains, bits of the West Coast and even Alaska, according to Sloth Sanctuary. Recently, fossils have turned up in the least expected places. In March, an 'absolutely massive' footprint likely belonging to an Iguanodon was discovered on a coastal town's beach in England. Last June, three tweens found a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil on a hike in North Dakota and even had their journeys later recounted in a documentary.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Skull of one-ton ground sloth found in Kansas
ELLIS COUNTY (KSNT) – The unearthing of a partial skull of a 10-foot-tall ground sloth has prompted a review of the history of the species in Kansas. The paper, published by the Kansas Academy of Science on May 26, claims a mostly intact braincase of Megalonyx jeffersonii, also known as Jefferson's ground sloth, was discovered near Hays in Ellis County. The discovery helps flesh out the distribution of the species during the late Pleistocene. The skull is estimated to be between 12,000-21,000 years old due to its discovery in a significant geological formation in Kansas. State wrestling tournament will stay in Topeka Megalonyx jeffersonii was named after Thomas Jefferson, who recovered bones of the animal from a cave in West Virginia in the late 18th Century. Jefferson originally thought the fossils belonged to a giant cat based on the large claws he found, according to the Illinois State Museum. The Illinois State Museum lists Megalonyx jeffersonii as being between 8-10 feet tall and weighing between 2,200-2,425 pounds. The animal was large and heavily built with large, blunt teeth. The animal's hip bones indicate it could stand on its hind legs which it probably used to strip leaves from trees with its large claws. Megalonyx jeffersonii has a long geological history in Kansas, with records from the late Miocene to the late Pleistocene, according to the paper. The location of Megalonyx jeffersonii in Kansas was associated with river drainages, indicating a reliance on forests within the grassland habitat of the Great Plains. Planned road closures for Emporia Unbound Gravel races As of this new publishing, the Megalonyx jeffersonii has been found in the following Kansas counties: Ellis County – 2025. Jewell County – 1995. Sedgewick County – 1985. Wyandotte County – 1979. Republic County – 1975. Wallace County – 1968. Johnson County – 1967. Meade County – 1938. McPherson County – 1892. Greenwood County – Unpublished date. Rawlins County – Unpublished date. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Miami Herald
10-foot-tall sloths with ‘large' teeth roamed modern-day Kansas. Now bones found
At the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago, a ground sloth that stood 8 to 10 feet tall went extinct. Now, bones belonging to one have been found in Kansas. A partial skull of the extinct sloth, known as Megalonyx jeffersonii, was found in Ellis County on the Great Plains, according to a study published May 26 in the peer-reviewed journal Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. The partial skull was made up mostly of braincase, and it provided a 'better understanding of the distribution of this species in Kansas,' the study said. The ground sloth was 'a large, heavily built animal' with 'a large skull with blunt snout, massive jaw, well-developed chewing muscles, and large, blunt, peg-like teeth,' according to the Illinois State Museum. Unlike modern-day sloths that typically stay in trees, this sloth spent most of its time on the ground, walking on its flat feet and at times standing on its hind legs, the Illinois State Museum reported. They had 'very large claws on their forelimbs' and were 'covered with thick hair,' the museum said. The age of the partial skull was not able to be determined, but because of its presence in the Peoria Loess sediment deposit, it's believed to be from the late Wisconsian between 21,000 and 12,000 years before present. The research team included H. Gregory McDonald, Laura E. Wilson and Melissa Macias Ellis County is about a 170-mile drive northwest from Wichita.
