Search the Community

Anyone know what species of sloth this is from? It is from Colombia. It is 6 3/4" long

I'm currently in Colombia but back in the city after a caving expedition. But of course I'm always looking for fossils too. He is a little teaser from the trip. More pics to come later.

Hello all, I found this piece of bone on IRB, Florida and it's about 1/2" x 1/2". I know it's pretty small to ID but it has some distinctive marks on it. My initial guess was a juvenile horse tooth frag, but than I saw pics of sloth that had similarities. I have photos of 6 different views. The photos are not as sharp as I would like, but the best I can get. Can you ID it? Thanks so much!

Score one for luck. I got lucky and won this awesome fossil to add to my sloth collection. $14.99 shipped. Sometimes you just get lucky and nobody else bids! very rare sloth rib bone from the Pleistocene of North Florida. The species is either Megalonyx or Paramylodon. This specimen measures 6 1/4" long. This specimen is exceptionally well preserved and highly detailed.

Well, I think I am done. I was out on Memorial day. The water was waist to chest level. I rarely go back to back days so Wednesday the 30th was possible. I had an interesting morning -- see below. 6 inches up was barely hand-able... We left a little after noon. Did find some neat fossils: This place is worth a return visit. Interesting open cavity at the end of the root. Very fragile #s 2,3,4. I know what these are... because I have seen them previously. I find thousands of the Asian clam ,an invasive species in the Peace River but I am hoping that @MikeR can identify this salt water clam from an earlier age. Then a Sawfish or Shark vert which are relatively uncommon. Finally, one I am unsure of: I have seen those "eyes" on the inside of a turtle shell... so I think that is what this is, although the shape is odd. See this thread. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/71000-prospecting-trip/. This season started off slow and started picking up in December. I will miss going to the river, but it gives me time to sort , catalogue, and pay attention to other important facets of living. Its all good.

Double pulley's right? What else could it be? Keep looking, I have a nice collection of astragalus bones from several species, none are ever close to this one. The size is the same as a horse. If it is all eroded away, I am sorry to bother you with it. It fools me into thinking it is in good shape, but there are almost no other articulations beside the pulleys. It looks to be scooped out with an ice cream scoop, then refinished! LOL ... Thanks for your opinion. The above image is the side opposite the "pulleys"

Is this possibly a Sloth tooth? I believe I read somewhere, they don't have enamel ? IIRC? This seems to have enamel and I pretty sure it is a tooth, any input is appreciated, thanks!

Collected this just now...

This bone was dug out of the sand high bank on the Brazos river after Hurricane Harvey. There are other bones. But the sand bank is still to unstable to dig out the other bones until next summer. It weighs 7 lbs - 3ozs Anyone know what it belonged to? Thanks...... .

Spending my time usefully. Sorting, collating, identifying, and throwing out or donating finds from last season so that my spouse will allow me to bring another fossil into the house when the season starts again. I tend to over collect and keep many things others would find useless, but there are always some treasures. One ziploc bag contained a bunch of small goodies, part of which are in this photo: Some I know, some I do not, but for this purpose I am interested in the small Sloth tooth: The tooth is 36 mm length, chewing surface 12.5x16.5 mm. This tooth is small for Sloth, not as small as P. garbani, but small, even for P. harlani, which is the smallest of the Florida ground sloths. In this post, @PrehistoricFlorida.identified a similar but different tooth FROM THE SAME LOCATION as a Megalonyx caniniform. Similar because the two teeth have the exact same texture change going down the side of the tooth. So, some questions. 1) Is the new tooth a Caniniform? In photo number 3 of 4, there is wear abrasion on the side of the tooth, but that may not be definitive. I am thinking it is a molariform, but updating my thoughts about side abrasions. 2) What is causing the differentiating texture rings around the top of these 2 teeth? Is this common. 3) We have 2 species of Megalonyx in Florida: M. leptostomus was about half the size of the later M. jeffersonii (Jefferson’s ground sloth). I doubt whether it is possible to differentiate teeth between them. It is great to be a fossil enthusiast. I really enjoy the detective/speculation. Jack

Howdy all. My father was a wildlife photographer in Houston TX for many years. I recently came across a box of slides from March 1978, where he documented the excavation of a fossil giant ground sloth in the Houston area. I believe it was a discovery made from some kids, and their parents contacted someone to do the excavation. However, I can find nothing about the discovery or the dig online. Anyone have any info? Thanks, Mike

This tooth was found diving off of Venice - we also found this nice, full horse tooth (in the background). The one I'm holding seems so much bigger than a usual horse tooth - could it be from some different mammal?

Hi all, Came across this, and thought it might interest a few of you: http://interestingengineering.com/these-impressive-tunnels-were-dug-by-ancient-giant-sloths/ Those ground sloths are really my favorite, they're gigantic but still have a cute/gentle look. And they're architectural masters too. Max

I found this at Walnut Creek in Austin, Texas. Any suggestions appreciated, thanks

Found this sloth tooth this past weekend and was hopeful someone could help figure out which sloth it's from, it's from the Peace river area of Florida and would be Pleistocene in age: ) thanks for looking

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/extinct-megafauna-dug-these-incredible-tunnels-in-brazil/ The giant animals that roamed the Earth before Homo sapiens took hold of the planet have not just left bones for us to find, some have left long tunnels in South America. These “paleotocas”, or "paleoburrows", were rediscovered during the last decade by several researchers, like Heinrich Frank and Amilcar Adamy. Since then, there has been an incredible output of scientific studies investigating, understanding, and explaining these incredible feats of animal engineering. "For most of the fossil vertebrates, you have only the bones and no clues about their living, how they behave, if they live alone or in groups, etc. It is very rare, in Paleontology, to have this kind of information about an extinct species," Professor Frank told IFLScience. "This is the main reason why paleotocas are so important. Additionally, they give us a little bit of information about distribution and abundance of certain animals with different habits." Paleontologists studying a paleoburrow. Heinrich Frank There's a large variety of paleotoca complexes, some with just a single tunnel and others with up to 25 of them. Many tunnels are filled with sediment, but almost 50 can be explored. Researchers have found three tunnel sizes: 0.8 meters, 1.2 meters, and 2 meters (2.6, 3.9, and 6.6 feet) that can extend up to 60 meters (196 feet) long. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many there are out there, as the terrain has changed significantly. So far, over 2,000 burrows have been found, including one just last Wednesday. Scientists believe they were dug between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago, although researchers are yet to properly date them. There’s talk of using mineral deposits or organic material found in these tunnels, but this has not yet been done. The scratches left by the burrowers show that this was not a natural phenomenon. Heinrich Frank The paleotocas were likely dug by giant ground sloths, like the Glossotherium and Scelerodotherhium, which were common in the Americas from the Pliocene to the late Pleistocene. Or they could have been the burrows of giant armadillos. When the tunnels were formed, the region was very different. Back then, the Amazon forest was a vast savannah teeming with giant life like mastodons, giant alligators, and these giant burrowers. Paleotocas were first discovered in Argentina in the late 1920s, but it wasn’t until Brazilian researchers, some working for the Brazilian Geological Survey, stumbled upon them in multiple locations around the country that the scientific interest in these paleontological features actually picked up.

I like all fossils but I have a special affinity for Sloth. I find a lot of it and once again, in my last sieve of the day, up pops a broken sloth tooth. Many of my hunting friends like Megs a lot better, but for me Sloths are rare but come to me somewhat frequently. If a tooth must be broken, I get the best part -- the chewing surface. So we all know this is a sloth tooth but I have more detailed questions. 1) Which specific species? Paramylodon Harlani? Megalonyx Jeffersonii? leptostomus? 2) Is this specific tooth a caniform? 3) Why is this tooth concave? Is the tooth above it convex? I know that only a few may have the expertise to specify Sloth tooth details, but posting here helps me share the rare find and share this tooth with those TFF members who are also addicted to Sloth material. Also, it may make me more sloth knowledgeable. UPDATED to add a link to this thread from 2013 which also has a sloth caniform. Note the similarity of the occlusal surface except for the flat versus concave surface on this new one.

I found this today. I thought it was an astragalus until I picked it up and saw the other side. I'm guessing a megatherium proximal phalanx? I can't find a good reference online to verify.

I spotted this in a site with one foot deep water a couple days ago while out fossil hunting: An hour or so before, I found this in the same site: A mammoth spit tooth. We also found quite a lot of petrified sticks and a root that all look modern but are completely mineralized: Not a bad way to start off the year.

I was happily snoozing away when my cellphone received a text message saying Josh was on his way to come pick me up. My truck is in the shop, so we would not be taking the 16' canoe for this trip. We were taking the kayaks strapped to the top of his car. I had about 15 minutes to get ready and the thermometer said a chilly 56F. I put on some an extra layer of clothes under my usual cargo shorts and t-shirt and waited for him to arrive. We were heading back to our favorite honey holes at Secret Location X - a secluded spot along the Peace that is flanked by large stretches of private property that we have permission to use. There are no public ramps or access points for miles in either direction, so we rarely see anyone else while we are out there. No highway noise, no houses along the bank, no barking dogs, nothing - just the way I like it. By the time we arrived, the temp had risen a few degrees and was about 60F. The last remnants of the morning fog were lifting and the air was filled with the sounds of nature - birds and wind in the trees. We loaded up the kayaks and launched downstream to head to our usual spot which has produced mammoth teeth, numerous megalodon teeth, and a wide assortment of mammal bones and teeth. On our way downriver, we spotted a group of 3 or 4 hawks overhead who screeched in protest of our presence. I had never seen hawks in a group like that and I am not sure what type they were. We also saw numerous turkey vultures and the usual herons and cranes. A lone Robin looking for a meal on the bank looked a little out of place. Gator activity appeared to be minimal and we only spotted two small juveniles who stayed on the bank and ignored us as we passed. There is a side creek that we always pass and say to ourselves - "We need to check that out one day.". The last time we came here, we stopped to check it out. As soon as Josh put the nose of his kayak into the creek mouth, a group of baby alligators appeared from the brush and they ran up inside a hollow under a tree rootball. Knowing that Mama was nearby, we decided to abandon the side creek and move on. Now, a few weeks later, we decided to try the creek again. Josh let me do the honors of going in first this time. With a wary eye for the nest, I headed into the creek mouth. No gators were evident, so we got out and started walking up the creek. The water was only inches deep, but the silty bottom was very loose and you could easily sink in to your knees in spots, so we walked along the bank. The creek snaked around and doubled-back on itself a few times. Trees and roots made constrictions in the flow which resulted in tiny waterfalls which made that pleasant "babbling brook" sound. I wished I had brought my camera, which was still in my backpack in the kayak. As it turned out, there wasn't much in that creek worth taking photos of. The banks were shallow and there was almost no gravel or spots that looked promising for fossils. After following it about 100 yards inland, hacking our way through the underbrush, leaping across to opposite banks, we decided to cut our losses and get back to the kayaks. We didn't find a single fossil in that creek. We headed back downstream to our usual spot and started searching. Josh was crawling along the bottom with his snorkel and mask. I was walking in a "Sanibel Stoop" that I use during shelling at the beach, stopping to reach into holes and turn over rocks. I had the sifter trailing behind me and I would throw handfuls of gravel into it. I found a few of the usual common things like small shark teeth, antler pieces, dugong rib pieces, and turtle shell. I never like to go home empty handed, so I always keep the first few dozen pieces I find, no matter how common or incomplete they might be, so those pieces went into my bag. Josh found a couple of tiny megs and some fragolodons, but the spot was otherwise unproductive - I think we have tapped it out on previous trips. So we decided to head further south downstream to some newer areas we have only scouted briefly. The trip downstream was pretty long and we went around a lot of bends. There was lots of sandy bottom that didn't have any gravel or crunch to it. A couple of miles downstream and we arrived at a small island we had scouted previously. There is a fork in the river there with exposed limestone bed and some gravel. So we got out and started looking around. Right off the bat I found two big chunks of bone. One appeared to be some kind of odd vertebra or thick scute of some kind. I put it in the bag and kept looking. I found a small vert that is likely alligator and a few more of the usual common things - some of which I tossed back to lighten my load. Josh did a small bit of snorkeling but didn't find much. By this point we were pretty tired (I was feeling a bit under the weather from the start), so we decided to call it a day and head back. This is where the trip became a little more interesting for me. The current was deceptive on the way downstream, and now that we were going back against it upstream, it was more work than I had anticipated. Both of us were having to work pretty hard during stretches. There were also a lot of obstacle courses to run - fallen trees that made choke points in numerous spots where one had to "thread the needle" to get through, or get out and walk the kayaks through. I was beginning to regret going so far downstream at this point and just wanted to get back to familiar territory where we could stop and take a break. On the way back, we were nearing the spot with many fallen trees and shallow spots. One particular area, there was a narrow gap between the bank and a fallen tree, and the water in that gap was only about 10-12 inches deep. Right before and right after the gap was deeper water. On our way downstream through it, I got wedged and had to get out of the kayak, walk it through and then get back in. Now that we were heading back upstream, we were nearing that stretch, and I was very tired from paddling against the current. I was just about gassed and was looking for a spot to pull the kayak on up the bank and take a brief rest. I was approaching a bend and the narrow gap was on the other side of the bend. As I come around the bend, I see a big adult gator on the bank (10+ feet) and he slips into the water just as I approach. He/She is in the deeper water just before the gap and I cannot see it because the water is black as coffee and in the shade where the sun cannot illuminate that spot. I don't like it when gators do that. I prefer them to stay on the bank and give me the stink eye as I paddle by. So now I am tired, almost out of breath, and in a spot where I cannot stop because I want to put some distance between myself and that beast. I also know that there is a pretty good chance that I might not be able to get through that gap and might be stuck right next to the lurking unseen gator. So I summoned the last of my strength and starting paddling like a man possessed. I built up a head of steam and just blasted my way forward and threaded the needle, right through the gap. I still couldn't rest, because I wanted to put more distance between myself and it. So I kept paddling until I thought I was going to pass out. It wasn't fear so much as prudence. Chances are, the gator had already retreated into deeper water in the opposite direction because they are more scared of us than we are of them. But I wasn't taking any chances. Josh was a bend or two behind me, so he didn't even see the gator, or hear my warning shout. I was hoping he wouldn't have to get out and walk it through that gap and get death-rolled. We finally got back to our very first spot, where I decided to rest. I pulled the kayak out and plopped down onto the bank to catch my breath. After a few minutes, Josh came around the bend and I told him about the gator. We had a laugh about it and he did some more brief searching while I panted and heaved on the bank like a 90-year old man with asthma. After about 15 minutes, we paddled back to the car with our meager haul. After I got home and laid it all out, I saw that the weird vert-scute thing was actually more interesting than I had thought. It had a weird pattern on it and didn't resemble any piece I had found previously. So I snapped a couple of photos of it and asked a more experienced hunter to ID it for me. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a ground sloth vertebra. I am now quite pleased because I found something I have not previously found. I was due for something unusual and I got it. In hindsight, there was quite a bit of "chunkasaurus" in that same spot where I found the sloth vert, so that spot is worth revisiting in the future - just in case there is more of that sloth there. This photo is our first hunting spot (the honey hole) - in the distance, you can just make out Josh crawling along the riverbed looking for swag.

Hi All, I recently went digging in Arcadia in the more shallow areas of Peace River. The pickings weren't bad, I assume from the recent high water. There's a few pieces that I have found that I wanted your thoughts on identification. This first piece reminded me of a fragment of mastodon tooth. I was thinking this MAY be a ground sloth tooth based on its shape. Not too sure on that, but wanted your ID. And last was this piece. The shape reminds me of a partial vertebra, but it is incredibly flat. Thanks for your help in ID'ing these!

Collected in 1998. Found in a spoil pile left by quarrying activity. Site is now closed and under water.

I purchased this cool little juvenile sloth claw for my collection. It's Pleistocene in age from Florida. Is there anyway to tell which species it's from?