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Ground Sloth Research Paper

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The Ground Sloth was one of the first extinct animals to be discovered. The Ground Sloth was one of the first breeds of sloth ever known to mankind. The scientific name is Megatherium, but it is mostly known as the Giant Ground sloth. The Ground Sloth had specific characteristics as well as environmental characteristics that shaped its way of life and they went extinct.
The Ground Sloth anatomy was very helpful to it’s lifestyle. The ground sloths massive size, acted as protection. According to San Diego Zoo’s article , “Extinct Giant Ground Sloth”, the ground sloth was 9.8 feet long, weighed up to 2,400 pounds, and 14 feet tall on it’s hind legs. The ground sloth was difficult to kill due to it’s massive size. The ground sloth had long sharp claws that served multiple purposes. According to the “Extinct Giant Ground Sloth” article by scientists at the San Diego Zoo, the ground sloths wastes fossil had should signs of plants. Also based off of its structure scientists believe that they also used their claws as defense. The ground sloths snout were very powerful. The San Diego Zoo, stated that they had long boxed shaped that had dull teeth. The structure of the …show more content…

The Ground Sloth prefered open grasslands. According to the San Diego Zoo, the waste fossil of the Megatherium signs of plants. Scientists suggested that their diet was a plant based diet, therefore they needed open grasslands. The Ground Sloth lived in giant burrows. The San Diego Zoo, stated that fossils and remains were found in large caves or over size burrows. Due to where the Ground Sloths lived and the size of the animal, scientist believed they lived in burrows. This supports the theory of evolution, because the Ground Sloth was the most well-suited for that environment, therefore it thrived. Also this is an example of one of the five factors of evolution that is known as natural

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