An older sloth, Megalonyx leptostomus, was found in sediments in Eastern Washington dated around 3.5 million years old. It was the first and only fossil find of these sloths discovered in the state. Usually you have to chip old bones out of hardened soil” ( The Seattle Times).īased on the shape of the 45-inch-wide pelvis, as well as the limb bones and claws, Mallory determined that the bones came from the extinct giant sloth known as Megalonyx jeffersonii. All we have to do to clean them is to put them under the faucet. Coombs, chair of the University of Washington geology department said “You can even see the tiny scars left by muscles.

But the bones they do dig up are in great shape. Nor do they find any human-made artifacts. Over the next week, they work with Elmer White of Western Bridge Company to pull up more bones.Īlthough the poor conditions - flooding and collapsing walls in a bog - make the dig difficult, the scientists extract more than 60 percent of the animal’s body. Paleontologist Stan Mallory and archeologist Robert Greengo from the Burke Museum are called in to investigate.

When Simmons finds the bones he stops the dig. A display at the Burke Museum now showcases the discovery, mounted as a complete skeleton. The extinct animal lived around 12,600 years ago and was the size of a Mini Cooper.

They find additional bones, eventually totaling about 60 percent of the body of a giant sloth, known as Megalonyx jeffersonii. “According to some alumni records in the IU archives, they were thrown out a window,” said Polly Root Sturgeon, outreach coordinator at the Indiana Geological and Water Survey.On Tuesday, February 14, 1961, while working on a runway at Sea-Tac International Airport, Gordon Simmons of Sellen Construction Company spots bones sticking out of a recently excavated 14-foot-deep hole dug for an anchor for a lighting tower. Digging stops and paleontologists from the Burke Museum are called in to investigate. Some bones from the sloth’s 10 ½-foot-tall skeleton that were tossed have been recovered, along with skeletons of a mastodon and a mammoth. “It’s a mixed tale of regret and loss, but it’s also a promise for better care for our collections across the university system as we move into our third century,” said Gary Motz, assistant director for information services at the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. Officials said the project aims to teach people about the megalonyx jeffersonii that roved around Indiana thousands of years ago while also shedding light on an unfortunate decision in IU history, The Herald-Times reported. (AP) - Indiana University is building a replica of a giant ground sloth’s skeleton that was once a star attraction in its natural history collection but was removed to make room for students during an enrollment surge following World War II. (Polly Sturgeon/Indiana Geological and Water Survey via AP)īLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Indiana University is planning to build a replica of giant ground sloth's skeleton that was once a star attraction in its natural history collection but which was tossed out to make room for students during an enrollment surge following World War II. Indiana University is planning to build a replica of giant ground sloth's skeleton that was once a star attraction in its natural history collection but which was tossed out to make room for students during an enrollment surge following World War II. Gary Motz, Indiana Geological and Water Survey Assistant Director for Information Services, uses a 3D scanner to capture images of one of three remaining sloth bones, at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, Feb, 19, 2019.

Sloth skeleton