Land (huge) idlers

Huge idlers appeared about 35 million years ago and lived in the New World, reaching weight in several tons and heights in 6 meters. Unlike modern idlers, their huge relatives lived not on trees, and on the earth.

Huge idlers are representatives nepolnozuby (Latin Xenarthra) — a nadotryada of the mammals living in South, North and Central America. Nadotryad turns on 2 groups, 5 families and 29 types. The largest modern representative nepolnozuby is the huge anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).

At nepolnozuby or at all there are no teeth as at anteaters, or their building is simplified: there are no enamel and roots, all teeth identical — are not present separation into cutters and canines (except the didactyl idlers having caniniform teeth), and grow constantly.

Huge idlers treated the few South American types which after emergence of the natural overland bridge with North America could extend also on the northern continent that speaks about their considerable adaptation capabilities.

Possibly, they were an easy mark for the first people who occupied an area of their dwelling as like their modern relatives moved very slowly.

Select the following families of land idlers:

• Megatheriidae,
• Mylodontidae,
• Nothrotheriidae,
• Orthopodiidae и
• Scelidotheriidae.

Megateriya

Megateriya (from grech mega [] "huge", and therion [], "animal") - the last and the most known of huge land idlers living 2-0.010 million years ago.

Researches

The first fossil skeleton a megateriya was detected in Argentina in 1787. Until then scientists could not even imagine what large sizes prehistoric animals could reach. Aboriginals of Patagonia thought that bones belong to a huge mole. According to a local legend, once he was selected from under the earth and was killed with sunlight. The viceroy of the Spanish colony marquis Loreto without delay sent bones to Madrid where he was engaged in detailed studying of this skeleton within several years in Iosif Garriga. In 1795 the scientist finished the work and transferred the manuscript to printing house. After receiving the first updates of the scientist the governor of the French colony San Domingo visited and asked for it one copy of its work in which the expected image of an animal was also placed. Garriga who was not suspecting actual intents of the governor gave it the work. The last immediately sent work to the Parisian Academy of Sciences where at the next meeting the famous paleontologist Kyuvye made the message about an interesting find and established that the skeleton belongs to the animal called by it Megatherium americanum. Thus it outstripped I. Garrigi's work for the whole year (its work was published only in 1796).

Garriga compared it to an elephant as by the sizes the South American animal did not concede to it at all. However his paws with huge were longer and heavier than a stupnyama elephant, and the shape of a skull as the scientist noted in the work, reminded the head of an idler.

When skeletons megateriyev were for the first time exposed in the European museums, they caused a sensation. Then the German poet I.V. Goethe devoted to a huge idler the whole essay. The museums to catch his skeleton, were ready to give all the annual budget. And the king of Spain Carlos IV demanded to deliver this animal to Madrid. And for the governor it was indifferent whether there will be it live or dead. He fondly believed that the New World as then referred to as America, is still inhabited by megateriya.

In addition to hundreds of bones, scientists detected in caves the hardened leather, wool and a dung a megateriya, and on oozy coast of the rivers - prints of his paws. All this helped paleontologists not only to recreate appearance of an animal, but also to study his diet and habits in detail.

Megatery did not climb trees like the modern descendant. Still Charles Darwin investigating his remains in the 18th century noted this feature of an animal in one of the works. The idea of existence of the plants capable to stand the similar giant was represented to it ridiculous.

Professor Richard Owen also participated in studying of the remains brought by Darwin from Patagonia to England. He assumed that he megateriya moved on the ground. When walking the huge idler like a modern anteater relied not on all foot, and on its edge not to cling to the earth claws. Because of it it moved slowly and a little clumsily.

Skeletons a megateriya caused a stir at public up to the beginning of the 20th century when in the museums skeletons of dinosaurs appeared. Before the European museums spent huge money for acquisition of these skeletons.

Appearance and way of life

Scientists consider that megateriya could live as in groups, and one by one, in caves. The most part of time they moved on four paws, but quite often rose also only on back. It became usually to break fresh leaves which other herbivores could hardly reach from high branches.

Idlers used the short tail as an additional support to reach foliage on trees. The long claws reaching 17 cm helped them to bend down fresh greens and to dig out useful roots. The powerful frame, the developed muscles and long claws made adult idlers almost impregnable for predators. These animals mainly ate vegetation, but did not refuse also drop.

Until recently scientists were sure that the idler broke leaves by means of unusually long tongue. However modern researches showed that the structure of his jaw interfered with formation of muscles which could hold it.

In spite of the fact that megateriya without effort could reach high branches of trees, generally they ate low plants, for example, a yucca or an agave.

According to scientists, huge idlers spent a lot of time for digesting the eaten food. Their stomach was able to cope with rough and fibrous food, however idlers had to have a rest much after a meal to help digestion process.

Earlier was considered that megateriya were covered with dense long fur, resembling superficially a huge bear, later researches show that they had very thick rough and almost hairless skin rather (as modern elephants). Even saber-toothed cats did not constitute danger to idlers. Under skin there were thousands of small bone plates protecting an animal from teeth and claws in the manner of a chain armor.

Types

• Megatherium altiplanicum
• Megatherium tarijense
• Megatherium medinae
• Megatherium istilarti
• Megatherium parodii
• Megatherium sundti
• Megatherium gallardoi
• Megatherium americanum

Eremotery

Eremotery (Latin Eremotherium, from other - Greek   "a solitary life the living animal") — the died-out genus of huge idlers, the representative of megafauna living with a Pliocene on a pleistocene, 2.5 million — 11,000 years ago. It is named Spillmann in 1948.

With a length of 6 m and weight more than 3 tons of eremoteriya it is comparable by the size with megateriy, however it was widespread more widely, up to the state of the USA South Carolina that makes him by one of the largest idlers in North America. Eremotery is found in the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

Mounted skeleton of Eremotherium laurillardi in National Natural History Museum of Washington

Types

According to the website Fossilworks, for January, 2019 4 died-out views include in a sort:

• Eremotherium eomigrans - is described in 1999. It is found only in Florida. Lived 4.9 million — 300,000 years ago.

• Eremotherium elenense (Hoffstetter, 1949) синоним Schaubia elenensis

• Eremotherium laurillardi, Megatherium laurillardi synonym - is described by Lund in 1842. It is found in Brazil and nearby places. This type lived 780,000 — 11,000 years ago. E. mirabile (Leidy, 1855) and E. rusconii (Schaub, 1935) is recognized synonyms to E. laurillardi.

• Eremotherium sefvei (De Iuliis and Saint-Andre, 1997)

Mylodontidae

Mylodontidae is the died-out family of land idlers existing from 23 million up to 11 thousand years ago.

Mylodontinae includes five childbirth:

• Lestodon,
• Thinobadistes,
• Mylodon,
• Paramylodon,
• Glossotherium.

Milodona

These idlers conceded in the sizes to megateriya a little. The largest representatives of the sort of the same name reached three-meter length and by the sizes corresponded to modern bulls. For the first time their remains were detected in 1895. There was it in the Chilean Patagonia, in the neighborhood of small is proud Puerto-Natales, in one of caves. Scientists assume that milodona left Earth no later than 9 thousand years BC.

In comparison with other milodona the sort Scelidotherium which lived in South America since an early Pliocene and up to the end of a pleistocene differed in the special structure of a skull. Also there was a sort Lestodon.

Glossotherium

Type of Glossotherium harani which remains detected near Los Angeles in the USA on La-Breille's ranch in asphalt holes.

Glossotherium robustum was an endemic of South America and weighed about 1500 kg.

Glossotherium robustum in the museum of Vienna

The jewelry from bone plates from a skin of huge idlers of Glossotherium made by ancient inhabitants of the continent is found in Santa Elina in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

The place of excavation in Santa-Elin (at the left). Bones of an idler with the drilled openings (on the right)

In 2017 they were dated age 23.12 thousand years ago^[1]. Dating nonpluses scientists who traditionally consider that South America was populated not earlier than 13 thousand years ago.

Fight of people with the representative of megafauna (perhaps, a huge idler) on one of rock paintings in the Brazilian national park Serra-da-Kapivara

Talassoknusa - water idlers

Besides there was also a huge idler talassoknus which lived at coast of modern Peru and conducted water or, perhaps, a semi-water way of life. Unfortunately, on this idler of material it is a little and they belong to a Miocene and a Pliocene. Presumably these water huge idlers ate generally coastal grass and seaweed. Eventually they began to consume less shallow-water vegetation, passing to more deep-water. Presumably they used for this purpose the mighty claws which they held the body near a bottom as it is done modern to us by sea iguanas. This sort was also close to megateriya^[2].

Megaloknusa

Remains of huge idlers (megaloknusa) are found in the Caribbean Region. During lifetime the animal weighed up to 90 kilograms. Select two views — M. rodens from Cuba and M. zile with Haiti.

Megaloknusa on the island of Cuba lived up to the Holocene and died out about 2960 BC.^[3], through one thousand years after emergence on the island of the first people.

Ancestors of the idlers living on islands of the Caribbean Region got here in an oligocene (33-23 million years ago) or at the very beginning of a Miocene. Pleystotsenovy types generally were massive land forms, however they saved signs of a wood way of life of the ancestors — the same as, for example, gorillas among monkeys. Their brushes and feet were tucked inside so they went, relying on the back of fingers. The structure of a basin and back extremities indicates capability to hold polubipedalny (biped, but with a support forepaws on trunks and branches) the body provision allowing to eat around high trees.

Megalocnus rodens. The American Museum of Natural History in New York

The Cuban land idlers on several thousands of years endured the continental fellows — megalonikhid, megateriid and milodontid, the died-out about 9-8 thousand years BC. Whose tooth from location of Solapa de Siles in the province Havana has radio-carbon dating 4190±40 years ago was the last idler in Cuba megaloknus. Thus, this type at least one thousand years coexisted with people who appeared on the Big Antilles approximately in 3200 g BC.

Search of the survived idlers

Legends of Indians tell about Mapinguari's being who by description matches a huge idler. The cryptozoologists intrigued with these legends tried to find survivors of individuals in the basin of Amazon, however they did not manage it.

Notes