Podcasts about megatherium

Megatherium americanum era uno de los mayores perezosos terrestres, con una longitud de seis metros, una altura en la cruz de cerca de dos metros y un peso de unas cuatro toneladas. La cabeza es relativamente pequeña, parecida a la de un oso, con el hocico estrecho. El labio superior es largo y prensil, como el del rinoceronte negro, capaz de asir y arrancar hojas y ramas. Los dientes, grandes, crecen durante toda la vida; carecen de esmalte y tienen crestas afiladas que encajan entre sí y se afilan unos con otros, como los de los roedores. Solo tiene diez en la mandíbula superior y ocho en la inferior. Los músculos de las mandíbulas son fuertes, y el cerebro es pequeño. Las patas delanteras, más esbeltas que las traseras, terminan en manos con garras de unos treinta centímetros de largo en los tres dedos centrales.

Megatherium americanum era uno de los mayores perezosos terrestres, con una longitud de seis metros, una altura en la cruz de cerca de dos metros y un peso de unas cuatro toneladas. La cabeza es relativamente pequeña, parecida a la de un oso, con el hocico estrecho. El labio superior es largo y prensil, como el del rinoceronte negro, capaz de asir y arrancar hojas y ramas. Los dientes, grandes, crecen durante toda la vida; carecen de esmalte y tienen crestas afiladas que encajan entre sí y se afilan unos con otros, como los de los roedores. Solo tiene diez en la mandíbula superior y ocho en la inferior. Los músculos de las mandíbulas son fuertes, y el cerebro es pequeño. Las patas delanteras, más esbeltas que las traseras, terminan en manos con garras de unos treinta centímetros de largo en los tres dedos centrales.

It was as large as an Asian elephant and towered over most animals in its environment. Join Dinosaur George to learn about the huge ground sloth, Megatherium! 

Mysterious supernatural beast or relic of humanity's ancient past, what is the mapinguari that stalk the Amazon rain forest? This week on Cryptidbits we try to answer that very question with special guest Shawn Engelman from Creepy Acres! Sources: Clark, Max. “The Enigmatic Legend of the Mapinguari.” Oddity Hive, 23 July 2023, oddityhive.com/cryptid/mapinguari/. Lamoureux, Aimee. “This Sloth Monster Is Said to Roam the Amazon Rainforest – Here's What the Evidence Says.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 30 Jan. 2019, allthatsinteresting.com/mapinguari. Lewis, Ryan. “Bigfoot of the Amazon Jungle: The Mapinguari.” Rainforest Cruises, 29 July 2021, www.rainforestcruises.com/guides/bigfoot-of-the-amazon-the-mapinguari. Mapinguari: Fearsome Beast and Protector of the Amazon, www.thirteen.org/programs/monstrum/mapinguari-fearsome-beast-and-protector-of-the-amazon-xnse9d/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023. Mapinguari: Fearsome Beast and Protector of the Amazon, www.thirteen.org/programs/monstrum/mapinguari-fearsome-beast-and-protector-of-the-amazon-xnse9d/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023. “Megatherium.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/animal/Megatherium. Serena, Katie. “Meet the Megatherium: The 13-Foot Prehistoric Sloth That May Still Exist in the Rainforest.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 31 May 2019, allthatsinteresting.com/megatherium. “What Was Megatherium?” Natural History Museum, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

Imagine your everyday critters, but supersized to the max in prehistoric times – we're talking animals that make today's versions look like pocket pets. Take the prehistoric armadillo, for example; back in the day, these armored dudes were practically the size of small cars. Ever heard of the giant ground sloth? Picture a sloth, but towering over you like a tree. And don't get me started on the colossal turtle the size of a hippo. Trust me, prehistoric wildlife was playing in a league of its own!

This week we're going to talk about stories of scientists, explorers, and other modern people eating meat from long-dead extinct animals. Did it ever really happen? Check out the great new podcast Herbarium of the Bizarre! I highly recommend it even though they don't eat any mammoth meat. Further reading: Was frozen mammoth or giant ground sloth served for dinner at The Explorers Club? Study Proves the Explorers Club Didn't Really Eat Mammoth at 1950s New York Dinner Company Serves World's First 'Mammoth' Meatball, but Nobody Is Allowed to Eat It Don't eat me bro: Blue Babe, a steppe bison mummy found in Alaska: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. We've talked about mammoths and other ice age megafauna plenty of times before, but this week we're going to learn something specific and really weird about these animals, although it's more accurate to say we're going to learn how weird humans are. You may have heard this story before, or something similar to this story. A group of scientists in Siberia or Alaska have unearthed a mammoth carcass that's been frozen in permafrost for at least 25,000 years. It's in such good shape that the meat looks as fresh as a fancy restaurant steak that's ready to go on the grill. At the end of a long day of using pickaxes to dig the mammoth out of ground frozen as solid as rock, the scientists are so hungry that when someone suggests they actually grill some mammoth meat, they all think it's a good idea. The meat turns out to taste as good as it looks. Everyone has a big steak dinner, even the camp dogs, and when the expedition ends they not only have a mammoth to put on display in their museum, they have a great story to tell about a meal no human has eaten for thousands of years. You may even have come across an event that inspired this particular story. The incredibly well preserved 44,000 year old Berezovsky mammoth was discovered in Russia in 1900 and excavated in 1901, and it's now on display in the Zoological Museum in Saint Petersburg. Rumors persisted for years that the expedition members ate some of the mammoth meat, but while we don't know exactly what happened, definitely no one actually sat down to have a yummy meal of mammoth steak. It turns out that the meat did look appetizing when thawed, but stank like old roadkill. The expedition erected a big tent over the dig site as they excavated the carcass, which was a slow process in 1901, and the smell became so bad that the expedition members had to take frequent breaks and leave the tent for fresh air. Apparently the scientists got drunk one night and dared each other to try a bite of the meat, but even after they practically covered it in pepper to disguise the taste, no one could force any down. One man might have managed to eat a single bite, but reports vary. They fed the meat to the camp dogs instead, who were just fine. Dogs and wolves have short, fast digestive tracts and can tolerate eating foods that would make humans very sick. But that's not the only story of modern humans eating meat from frozen mammoth carcasses. It supposedly happened on January 13, 1951 at the Roosevelt Hotel's grand ballroom in New York City. A group called the Explorers Club met for their annual fancy dinner that evening, and as always, the menu contained lots of exotic foods. The main course has gone down in history as being slices of mammoth meat from a 250,000-year-old carcass found in Alaska. That's where things get confusing, though, because supposedly the main course was megatherium meat found in Alaska. Megatherium was a giant ground sloth that hasn't ever been found frozen in permafrost at all, certainly not in Alaska. It lived in South America. However, the Christian Science Monitor magazine thought megatherium was another word for mammoth and reported that the group was served mammoth meat. Some of the Explorers Club members genuinely thought they were din...

Ted and Adam hone their predatory instincts by writing daily poems.Field Notes Foiled AgainMegatheriumCreature ConservancyDaniel Clowes - MonicaLast of the Summer WinePatreonEmail us at takenotecentral@gmail.com

This time in the Formula Indie Extra we have a very powerful band from Kinsale, Ireland, called Outsound.The album of 10 tracks that we will discover together is called Megatherium and is really a well done blend of genre and influences to listen!You can discover more from this great band from their website https://outsound.bandcamp.com/album/megatherium

It was a pleasure to welcome Steve (Vocals/Guitars) Aaron (Bass) and Luke(Drums) of Outsound. The lads are releasing their brilliant debut album ‘Megatherium' on June 9th. Their sound encompasses a new wave of progressive, hard rock carrying melodic vocals through atmospheric bends, searing leads and bouncing breakdowns. Tearing strips from blues, grunge, heavy metal and even sprinkling in some Beach Boys flavoured harmonies, the lads share some insights into the recording of their debut and how the band were formed. We talk about the work that Fintan McKahey at Ivy Hill Studios did for the recording of the album and Colin Bolger of Dabulga Design for the amazing artwork that he has provided throughout all of Outsounds releases. Please hit ‘SUBSCRIBE' if you enjoyed the interview on The Metal Cell YouTube channel. Thanks Richie. Band links https://outsound.bandcamp.com/track/megatherium Songs played: Hardcore Daisy © Outsound, all rights reserved. Murder Dream © Outsound, all rights reserved.

Animales Extintos Que Aun Viven #3 Puma Del Este - (Puma Concolor) Celacanto - (Coelacanthiformes) Pájaro Carpintero De Pico Marfil - (Campephilus Principalis) Delfín Baiji - (Lipotes Vexillifer) Jambato Del Pacífico - (Atelopus Elegans) Murciélagos Frugívoros De Filipinas Con La Espalda Desnuda - (Pteropodidae) Almiquí De Cuba - (Solenodon Cubanus) Alce Irlandés - (Megaloceros Giganteus) Quagga De Media Rayas - (Equus Quagga Quagga) Lombriz Gigante De Palouse - (Lumbricus Badensis) Lagarto Gigante De La Palma - (Gallotia Auaritae) Diente De Sable - (Smilodon) Roble De Nightcap - (Eidothea Hardeniana) Moluscos Monoplacóforos - (Monoplacophora) #2 Tigre de Java (Panthera tigris sondaica) Palomas clonadas (Ectopistes migratorius) Monstruo con boca en el estómago (Megatherium americanum) Aves demoníacas (Pterodroma cahow) Salchichas con patas (Dryococelus australis) El Pelaje Negro Se Está Extinguiendo?! (Panthera pardus) Hormigas A Prueba De Desastres (Glacilidris bomber) Vacas Marinas (Hydrodamalis gigas) El Ave Estúpida (Raphus cucullatus) La Princesa De Los Caballos (Equus ferus caballus) Lagartos Jugando A Las Escondidas (Gallotia bravoana) Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) Una Serpiente De Cejas Enormes (Bitis Cornuta Albanica) Rana Imita Martillazos (Alytes muletensis) #1 Lobo Más Pequeño Gecko Crestado de Nueva Caledonia Eslizón Del Terror Rata De Roca Laosiana Calamón Takahe El Ratón de New Holland Ballena Omura Alforfón Del Mounte Diablo (un tipo de trigo Buckweat) Nutria De Río Japonesa Oso Pardo Mexicano Tilacina Mamut El monstruo del río Congo May 14 - Extinct Animals That May Still Be Alive (1-3) = Animales Extintos Que Aun Viven (#3-1) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/universos-abiertos/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/universos-abiertos/support

A Taste for Studies: Tortoise Urine, Armadillos, Fried Tarantula & Goat Eyeballs While eating study specimens is not in vogue today, it was once common practice for researchers in the 1700-1880s. Charles Darwin belonged to a club dedicated to tasting exotic meats, and in his first book wrote almost three times as much about dishes like armadillo and tortoise urine than he did on the biogeography of his Galapagos finches. One of the most famously strange scientific meals occurred on January 13, 1951, at the 47th Explorers Club Annual Dinner (ECAD) when members purportedly dined on a frozen woolly mammoth. The prehistoric meat was supposedly found on Akutan Island in Alaska, USA, by the eminent polar explorers' Father Bernard Rosecrans Hubbard, “the Glacier Priest,” and Captain George Francis Kosco of the US Navy. This much-publicized meal captured the public's imagination and became an enduring legend and source of pride for the Club, popularizing an annual menu of “exotics” that continues today, making the Club as well-known for its notorious hors d'oeuvres like fried tarantulas and goat eyeballs as it is for its notable members such as Teddy Roosevelt and Neil Armstrong. The Yale Peabody Museum holds a sample of meat preserved from the 1951 meal, interestingly labeled as a South American Giant Ground Sloth, Megatherium, not Mammoth. The specimen of meat from that famous meal was originally designated BRCM 16925 before a transfer in 2001 from the Bruce Museum to the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History (New Haven, CT, USA) where it gained the number YPM MAM 14399. The specimen is now permanently deposited in the Yale Peabody Museum with the designation YPM HERR 19475 and is accessible to outside researchers. The meat was never fixed in formalin and was initially stored in isopropyl alcohol before being transferred to ethanol when it arrived at the Peabody Museum. DNA extraction occurred at Yale University in a clean room with equipment reserved exclusively for aDNA analyses. In 2016, Jessica Glass and her colleagues sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene and studied archival material to verify its identity, which if genuine, would extend the range of Megatherium over 600% and alter views on ground sloth evolution. Their results showed that the meat was not Mammoth or Megatherium, but a bit of Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas. So much for elaborate legends. The prehistoric dinner was likely meant as a publicity stunt. Glass's study emphasizes the value of museums collecting and curating voucher specimens, particularly those used for evidence of extraordinary claims. Not so long before Glass et al. did their experiment, a friend's mother (and my kayaking partners) served up a steak from her freezer to dinner guests in Castlegar that hailed from 1978. Tough? Inedible? I have it on good report that the meat was surprisingly divine. Reference: Glass, J. R., Davis, M., Walsh, T. J., Sargis, E. J., & Caccone, A. (2016). Was Frozen Mammoth or Giant Ground Sloth Served for Dinner at The Explorers Club?. PloS one, 11(2), e0146825. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146825

Long ago, somewhere in South America, lived a giant ground sloth. How will she cope as the weather worsens?Written especially for this podcast by Alice.

(image source: https://www.thoughtco.com/megatherium-giant-sloth-1093238) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Christina Eilert discuss Megatherium, a creature whose full scientific name literally translates to “Great American Beast” but this isn't 4th of July-related due to it not being that America, so sorry, USA-ians. From the Late Pleistocene, this 20-foot ground sloth dope slapped some Smilodon populator to death to keep said Smilodon populator from doing too much of their namesake populating. Huh, maybe I take the meanings of these scientific names too literally. Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/MatthewDonald. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

Episode: 2224 Thomas Jefferson and megalonyx, the great-clawed ground sloth.  Today, Jefferson meets Great Claw.

Welcome to Plano Library Speaks, the podcast of Plano Public Library!    In this episode, your hosts, Rachel and Bob chat with library staff about a variety of topics, including science Early Learning programs, the Genealogy Center and more. See our show notes below for details and links.  Learning and Leading  We speak with Development Coordinator Kristin Linscott about how others see you. Some resources and programs mentioned in this segment:  LinkedIn Learning – available for Plano Public Library cardholders  Elevator Pitch  Reputation Management  Personal Branding    Kanopy – available for Plano Public Library cardholders    Upcoming programs:    Resume/Interview Workshop on Friday, February 4 at 2 p.m. Register here Discover best practices for creating a resume. Learn how to turn your interview responses into personalized stories using the SAR (Situation, Action, Result) Method. Pick up tips and tools for interview success and find out how to follow up after the interview. Teens and adults are welcome. Presented by HR professionals from Capital One.   How to Conquer Overwhelm on Friday, February 11 at 1 p.m. Register here We all feel overwhelmed from time to time. It's not a good feeling and it can be quite paralyzing. Learn how to recognize overwhelm for what it is and get past it, so you can achieve your goals. Presented by Debra Austin, Chaos2Results Business Coaching & Consulting.   Team Up for Entrepreneurial Success (TUES) on Tuesday, February 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Haggard Library. Register here This series will have a different topic of discussion each month. This is a great opportunity for the local small business owner/entrepreneur to network and interact with one another while receiving expert advice from a SCORE Dallas Mentor. In this session, we will discuss website creation and online presence.  Designing Your Elevator Speech on Friday, March 4 at 2 p.m. Register here Communicate your idea, who you are, or how you can benefit a company or organization in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. Learn how to design your pitch to get a positive response. Presented by Andrella Thomas from Capital One.    What Story Are You Telling? on Monday, March 14 at 2 p.m. Register here How others perceive you depends on your choice of words, actions, and even your appearance. If you're not intentional in telling your story, you may not have the influence or image you desire. Learn the importance of establishing a strong personal brand and the five steps you can take to achieve one. Presented by Debra Austin, Chaos2Results Business Coaching & Consulting.    Personal Branding on Friday, April 8 at 2 p.m. Register here Branding is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition. Benefits are to ultimately advance their career, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact. Led by Capital One professionals.    Kids & Family  We speak with Librarian Brin Kieffer about Dino Lab, an Early Learning program.  Dino Lab (ages 2-5 years with parent/caregiver): Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs! Celebrate everything dinosaur with simple STEAM and early literacy activities. Come & Go.   Upcoming sessions:  February 10 at 10 a.m. at Harrington Library  March 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Parr Library  April 30 at 10:30 a.m. at Schimelpfenig Library    Did You Know?  We speak with Genealogy Librarian Cheryl Smith about the Genealogy Center.  Check out Genealogy Center resources here  For online archives, see Collin County Images  Find previously recorded virtual programs on YouTube, and upcoming classes on our calendar    Meet the Staff  We speak with Matt Clark, Library Services Representative, about the personal interests he brings to library programming.  Upcoming workshops that feature art (some of which Matt is leading!):  Intro to Watercolor on Saturday, February 12 at 3 p.m. at Haggard Library (ticketed, tween/teen)  Pistachio Flowers on Tuesday, February 15 at 7 p.m. at Schimelpfenig Library (ticketed, adults) Use pistachio shells to create colorful flowers that will brighten up any room  Paleo Art on Monday, February 21 at 2 p.m. at Haggard Library (ticketed, grades 3-5) How do we know what Wooly Mammoth, T-Rex, and Megatherium looked like if we have never seen one alive? Explore the world of Paleo-art and create your own pre-historic masterpiece.  3D Design – Unreal Engine: Basics (13+) on Wednesday, March 9 at 1 p.m. Register here Learn the basics of the Unreal Engine software and its potential uses for animation, video game development, lighting, and more! All skill levels welcome.  Crash Course in Comics on Friday, March 11 at 3 p.m. at Haggard Library (ticketed, tween/teen) Want to draw your own stories? Learn how to dive into making your very own comic books!  Constellation Embroidery on Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. at Schimelpfenig Library (ticketed, adults) Learn basic embroidery stitches to make stars and create your own constellation 

In this episode the Odders discuss the pilgrim's lunch, 40 foot sloth's, and cleaning up the streets!

  S4 E2: North American Giant Sloths (A.K.A. Gorps) Giants sloths, or Megatherium, existed in the Americas for millions of years before prehistoric humans hunted them to death nearly 12,000 years ago. At least that's the story according to most academic scholars in the field. A few off hand sightings and encounters might suggest that the Megatherium still exist to this day. We'll take a peek at some of these stories then get off topic today on Counting Cryptids. Links: Counting Cryptids Youtube Channel Main Image Counting Cryptids Merch Social: Be sure to follow us on social media to connect with the community and answer polls! Twitter @CountCryptid Instagram @CountingCryptids Join our Discord channel! Support Counting Cryptids on Patreon! Click here to subscribe on Spotify Make sure you subscribe and rate our podcast!

Do you like sloths? Then you'll LOVE the prehistoric ground sloth, Megatherium! Join Morgan as she teaches you all about them!

You read that title right! Megatherium or giant sloth?

A lot of things get mentioned in this episode so if you are curious, some relevant links are below. As such, it is hard to capture what went on in words so this one is up to you listener!~Davehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_lawhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatherium 

In this episode we talk about some real life extinct animals that we lived alongside. Most of which turn out to be a lot more intimidating than their cryptid cousins!

Welcome to Wiped Out Wednesdays! We will be talking about animals who (sadly) are no longer with us! Our first feature is the MEGATHERIUM or Giant Ground Sloth! An absolute giant that went extinct 12,000 years ago! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ltaca/support

I didn't think I'd be talking about Hamaker's Constant in a monster podcast -- and, to be honest, I don't know if I really do in this one.  If you're enjoying the show, why not consider supporting it on Patreon? You'll get access to lots of new bonus content, including my other podcast, Patron Deities!   Thanks to Ray Otus for our thumbnail image. The intro music is a clip from "Solve the Damn Mystery" by Jesse Spillane, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

We've officially hit a decade of MonsterTalk. In this episode we get "old school" and talk about the legendary Mapinguari, and how cryptozoologists have tried to explain the folklore of this massive South American animal by claiming it to be a kind of Bigfoot creature, or even a Giant Ground Sloth. We take a deep dive into what Paleontology can tell us about the real historical records of Giant Ground Sloths (Megatherium) and see how well these creatures line up with the legend of the Mapinguari.Our guest is Uruguayan paleontologist Dr. Richard A. Fariña.   Links Dr. Fariña's Giant Sloth website (English / Spanish) Paper describing the site of the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site near Sauce, Uruguay The Shasta Giant Sloth site David C. Oren's theory of Sloths as possible explanation of Mapinguari has been covered in The New York Times and Discovery Magazine. Apparently, Behemoth from Godzilla: King of the Monsters 2019 is a Mapinguari! Who knew? We also discussed a few megafauna in this episode. Here's our Who's Who for those names: Gomphothere - similar to an elephant or mammoth Glyptodon - similar to an enormous armadillo Megatherium - a gigantic ground sloth that is the main paleontological subject of the episode   And don't forget the question of Sloths and Avocados! The paper for that research is here.

This week we sit down with host of the new podcast Art and Labor, OK Fox (@artandlaborpod @0KF0X), to talk about pretentious private schools, the lasting impact of 1968 on the history of art and protest movements, and the majesty of the Megatherium, the elephant-sized giant sloth of the Pliocene.

Aaron and INO track the elusive Megatherium and answer a BIG science question from Vince. View full episode show notes at www.MyDogRocket.com

This week we’ve got a heaping helping of animals with big pointy teeth! Whether you spell it saber or sabre, you don’t want teeth of that description biting you. Smilodon is the best saber-toothed cat: Thylacosmilus’s weird chin bone: Thylacosmilus might have looked something like this when alive: Kolponomos might have looked something like this when alive: And the sabertooth fish is still alive! Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. For this week’s episode, we’re looking at saber-toothed animals. The animal people generally think of as THE saber-tooth cat, or saber-tooth tiger, is Smilodon fatalis. Smilodon and its relatives were members of the feline family, although not very closely related to the big and little cats living today. We have a whole bunch of Smilodon fossils, many from the La Brea tar pits in California. Smilodon was probably descended from a saber-tooth cat called Megantereon, which lived in North America, Eurasia, and Africa. It might have still been around only half a million years ago, was definitely around as recently as 2.5 million years ago, definitely around as long as 4.5 million years ago, and recent finds have been tentatively dated to 7 million years ago. So Megantereon was a very successful animal. It was stocky with strong forelimbs and neck, with long upper canines—not as big as Smilodon’s, but certainly saber-toothed. It wasn’t a giant cat, probably close to a jaguar in size, with males probably being around 5 or 6 feet long (or around 1.5 meters) not including the tail and a little over 2 feet high at the shoulder, or 72 cm. It probably killed its prey by leaping on it and biting its throat. Megantereon probably acted a lot like a leopard, including climbing trees, but its descendant, Smilodon, was too heavy for tree-climbing. Smilodon was a big, tough kitty about the size of a modern lion. It lived in North America, and migrated into South America at some point too. It probably looked more like a bear than a cat since it was stocky, heavily muscled, and had a broad head and jaws that could open much wider than modern cats’. Smilodon cubs didn’t have saber teeth. A cub only started growing its big teeth when it was around a year and a half old, and by around three years old the fangs were fully grown, about 7” long or 18 cm. Very few remains of young Smilodons have been found in the La Brea tar pits, so researchers think cubs were mostly fed and cared for by their mother until they had fully grown fangs and had learned to use them. For a long time researchers thought Smilodon lived in forested areas, but recent studies show that it probably preferred open areas. One 2016 study compared carbon and nitrogen isotopes found in collagen samples from bones of Smilodon and other predators with those of prey animals in South America to find out what they were eating. It turns out that Smilodon ate a lot of Megatherium and other giant ground sloths, as well as a camel-like ungulate called Macrauchenia. There’s even some evidence that Smilodon may have hunted in family groups. Overall, the finding suggests that Smilodon lived a lot more like modern lions do than like other big cats. The first Smilodon fossils found date to around 2.5 million years ago, but remains found in Florida dated to 5 million years ago have recently been described as a related saber-toothed cat. Smilodon lived until only 10,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene. It preyed on ice age megafauna and researchers think it may have died out when its main prey animals went extinct. Humans probably had something to do with their extinction too. Smilodon wasn’t the only big predator in North America during the ice age, though. It wasn’t even the only big feline predator. It shared its territory with the American lion and the American cheetah. Neither of those had saber teeth but they’re awesome so I’m going to tell you a little ...

In this episode we discuss the interesting extinct and extant mammals that Darwin collected in South America during his voyage on the Beagle. James makes an argument that it was the mammals that Darwin collected that stimulated his idea that species evolve. Sarah talks about why there are so many large mammals in Africa and not in South America, which Darwin thought was odd since vegetation growth is much more dense and thick in the rain forest of South America compared to the plains of Africa.Some of Darwin's unique species he collected on his voyage.From Darwin's journal where he realizes species transmutate"In July opened first note book on 'transmutation of Species'—Had been greatly struck from about month of previous March on character of S. American fossils—& species on Galapagos Archipelago. These facts origin (especially latter) of all my views."  From Darwin's Journal July 1837.Darwin was struck by two interesting aspects of the mammals of South America. The first was that there was a strong correspondence between the mammals that he shot, collected and ate in South America with the fossils he collected in the same area. Three major kinds of mammals intrigued Darwin during his exploration of South America. The first is the sloths,  a slow moving herbivore mammal that are adapted to feeding on leaves and fresh buds of the cecropia tree. The first mammal Darwin collected was giant bones from the megatherium, an extinct species of giant ground sloth.https://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2017/01/Sloth-Hanging-Tree-Branchhttp://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/m/megatherium.htmlhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMegatherium_americanum.jpgThe other mammal type that intrigued Darwin was the fossil giant Glyptodont which looks similar to the extant armadillo still found in from South America up through Central America into the southern regions of North America.http://media.npr.org/http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/index.htmlThe other two interesting mammals Darwin collected as fossils was the Toxodon and the Macrauchenia. Here are some reconstructions of the animals by talented and imaginative artists.http://prehistoricpark.wikia.com/wiki/ToxodonFollow this link to a wonderful National Geographic article that discusses some of these amazing prehistoric mammals. http://darwin-online.org.uk/graphics/Zoology_Illustrations.htmlDuring the discussion Sarah mentioned the diversity of form prehistoric mammals exhibited in the fossil record. The image below collects some of the various forms of elephants that have evolved over the past 65 million years. Note how diverse the tusks, modified teeth, have developed in the various species. https://www.natgeocreative.com/comp/05/682/457127.jpgJosh mentioned how impressive it is to watch vampire bats feed. Here is a link to cool video from National Geographic that shows interesting bat behavior but the narrator tries to hard to be cute.The opening and closing theme to Discovering Darwin is "May" by Jared C. Balogh. Interlude music is Suede Head by Red Star Martyrs

Episode 22 is all about megatherium, the giant extinct ground sloth--and a little bit about glyptodon, the giant extinct...thing. Megatherium vs trees was basically no contest. Giant ground sloth FTW! Giant sloth big, yeah yeah yeah, it's not small, no no no Glyptodon. Like a giant armadillo that can't roll up and doesn't need to. Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. For this week’s episode, let’s learn about some Ice Age megafauna! But first, a quick note about my schedule. I’ll talk more about this in a few weeks, but in August I’m going to be in Helsinki, Finland for WorldCon 75. I don’t have the final schedule yet, but I am going to be on a panel about podcasting. If you’re going to WorldCon too, or if you’ll be in Helsinki the week of the convention or the week after, let me know so we can meet up! I’ll also be in Oslo, Norway for part of the day on August 7. I got a cheap flight to Helsinki because it has an 11-hour layover in Oslo, but to me that’s a bonus. Oslo has birds! Birds I’ve never seen before! So if you’re going to be in Oslo on August 7 and you’d like to meet me for a birding trip and/or lunch, definitely let me know! And don’t worry, I’ll schedule episodes ahead of time so you can continue to learn about strange animals even while I’m gone. Now, on to the megafauna. Until about five million years ago, South America was a big island continent the way Australia is today. As a result, many of the animals that evolved there at the time don’t look anything like animals in other parts of the world. The various species of giant ground sloth, such as Megatherium and Eremotherium, were South American mammals that lived from around 30 million years ago until only about 10,000 years ago—but we’ll come back to that in a minute. Those two species were huge—as big as African elephants. It was 20 feet long and stood more than 12 feet high on its hind legs. They liked woodlands and grasslands and ate plants. Megatherium had huge curved claws on its forefeet just like modern sloths, four claws that were a foot long each, and we know it walked on the sides of its paws as a result because we have some fossilized tracks. A ground sloth could walk on its hind legs, at least for short distances, and when feeding it spent a lot of its time reared up on its hind legs, helped to balance by its thick tail. It could reach branches some 20 feet off the ground that way. It hooked the branches down with its claws to eat the leaves. Around 5 million years ago, South America became connected to North America by the Central American Isthmus, which is volcanic in origin. Over the millennia, peaking around 3 million years ago, North American animals migrated south, and South American animals migrated north, called the Great American interchange. A lot of South American megafauna went extinct with the increased competition for resources, but nothing bothered the giant ground sloths. One medium-sized species, named Megalonyx by Thomas Jefferson, spread throughout North America as far north as Alaska. It was “only” about 10 feet long and weighed some 800 pounds, with three claws on its forefeet. The North American sloths died out first, around 11,000 years ago. It didn’t take long for most of the South American sloths to go extinct too, a little over 10,000 years ago. And yes, that was the same time that humans were spreading deeper into the Americas. It’s not a coincidence, although climate change after the last big ice age probably played a part too. Ground sloths had thick skin reinforced with osteoderms, knobs of bone tissue that grow in the skin like armor, so killing one would have been a lot of work for our ancestors, and was undoubtedly dangerous too. But a whole lot of islands make up the Carribbean, and giant sloths lived on some of those islands. Many had developed in isolation long enough that they’re now considered separate species from the m...

Hello again. Like I said before, I’m Mark Valentine and I’m going to be talking about Megafaunal Extinction and how it affects present and future biodiversity. Before I begin, you probably are going to want to know what exactly Megafauna are. Megafauna are HUGE animals. This would certainly include animals like elephants and giraffes, but also lions, tigers and bears. All these animals, however, are relatively well known and still exist in the world today. What many people don’t know is that there were many incredible Megafauna that existed a few thousand years ago that are now extinct. Around 50,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, Megafauna worldwide underwent massive and widespread extinctions . Before then, there were all kinds of amazing and enormous animals worldwide: In Eurasia, there were wooly mammoths and saber tooth cats, which you’ve probably heard of, but in North America there were beavers the size of small cars and 9 foot tall Bison with horns that spanned over 6 feet , in South America there were 5 foot tall armadillos and Giant Ground Sloths the size of elephants , and in Australia there were wombats the size of Hippopotamuses . All these animals have two things in common: One, that they are absolutely massive, and two, that they have all contributed to the historical phenomenon that Megafauna are more likely to go extinct than smaller animals . So what caused these extinctions? There are two causes. We know that human hunting lead to the extinction of many Megafaunal species, like Steller’s Sea Cow, which was basically a 30 feet long , 20,000 pound manatee . Another major cause of these extinctions was climate change. A recent study showed that climate change had significant effect on many species, and actually may have been the cause of extinction for wooly rhinos, giant bison, and other Megafauna . So what does this mean for present and future biodiversity? It’s not good. The same two factors—humans and climate—are again playing a role in Megafaunal extinctions. As humans increase in population and expand outwards, more and more animals are being threatened, and since Megafauna need more living space than other animals they are more affected. Animals including pandas and tigers are already endangered because of this. We’re also experiencing global climate shifts due to global warming, which is already causing a decline in Megafauna like the polar bear . The continued global trend of a loss of large animals is clearly leading towards one result: a world overrun with the smallest kinds of animals which can live alongside humans, or in other words, a world overrun with rodents . But this does not have to happen. If we as humans can dramatically change the way we live to reduce climate change and preserve wildlife, we can maintain biodiversity, especially among Megafauna, for much longer. The only question is, can we change? ``` Wikipedia contributors. "Quaternary extinction event." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Kurtén, B. and E. Anderson (1980). Pleistocene Mammals of North America. Columbia University Press. pp. 236–237. ISBN 0231037333. Wikipedia contributors. "Bison latifrons." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 13 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Wikipedia contributors. "Doedicurus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jun. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Wikipedia contributors. "Megatherium." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Wikipedia contributors. "Diprotodon." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. Turvey S. T., Fritz S. A. 2011 The ghosts of mammals past: biological and geographical patterns of global mammalian extinction across the Holocene. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 366, 2564–2576. Sally M. Walker (1999). Manatees. Lerner Publications. Victor B. Scheffer (November 1972). "The Weight of the Steller Sea Cow". Journal of Mammalogy 53 Hofrieter, Michael., Shapiro, Beth., et al. 2011. Species-specific responses of Late Quaternary megafauna to climate and humans. Nature 479, 359–364 (17 November 2011) Johnson, Chris. Australia's Mammal Extinctions: A 50,000 year history. 1st ed. Caimbridge: Caimbridge University Press, 2006. Print. Hunter, Christine M., Hal Caswell, Michael C. Runge, Eric V. Regehr, Steve C. Amstrup, and Ian Stirling. 2010. Climate change threatens polar bear populations: a stochastic demographic analysis. Ecology 91:2883–2897