Megalonyx

Megalonyx(Jefferson's Ground Sloth)
Classification
Name	Megalonyx jeffersonii
Name Meaning	Great Claw
Species	Ground Sloth
Family	Megalonychidae
Diet	Herbivore
Physiology
Description	A North American species of Ground Sloth
Attributes	Large size; long claws similar to Megatherium
Height	10 ft.
Length	10 feet (2.5 m)
Weight	3 tons
Biography
Era	Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene
Time	5 MYA to 10 TYA
Discovered	1822
Locations	North America

Megalonyx (name meaning "Great claw") sometimes called the Jefferson's Ground Sloth is a genus of ground sloth of the family Megalonychidae that lived during the Pleistocene in what is now North America.

In the Series 3 episode "Saving the Sabre Tooth," a pair of Megalonyx and their young were brought to the park from Late Pleistocene North America, 30,000 years ago. They reside in the Ape Man Jungle Enclosure.

Facts

Era & Discovery

Megalonyx lived in North America during the Early Pliocene to Late Pleistocene 5 million to 10,000 years ago where it lived alongside other animals such as Smilodon, Arctodus, Arctotherium, the American Lion, Homotherium, Dire Wolf, Glyptotherium, Castoroides, Stag Moose, the American Mastodon, and even the mighty Woolly and Columbian Mammoths.

Physical Attributes

Megalonyx stood 10 ft tall and weighed 3 tons.

Megalonyx skeleton

Megalonyx were related to tree sloths, but like other ground sloth, they were much bigger. They had long claws which they used to hook down branches so Megalonyx could browse as well as defense from Ice Age predators such as Smilodon, and Dire Wolves.

Behavior & Traits

Megalonyx lived a solitary life and only got together during the mating season.

Gallery

A Megalonyx encountering a young Paleo-Indian.

A Megalonyx trapped in a tar pit.

A Megalonyx browsing on treetops.

Trivia

• The sound effects of Megalonyx are that of bear, goat, elephant, camel, bison and bull.