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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:05:17 GMT
Remains of prehistoric mammal in the Gran Caverna Camagüey, Apr 10. - Remains of the extinct prehistoric giant sloth (Megalocnus rodens) and the footprints of an alleged “mambi” camp, are the most recent discoveries in the Gran Caverna, one of the largest caves in Camagüey. The group Tínima, of Cuba’s Speleologist Society, claims the authorship of the discoveries, carried out during the current researches in this cave, located in the west side of Sierra de Cubitas. The skeleton, well preserved, was found in a position and in a place that suggest the animal died because of a fall. The bones of the extinct Megalocnus rodens have been found in diverse areas of the Island nation, even in other occasions in the province of Camagüey. That large nailed stout rodent lived in Cuba during the Pleistocene stage, and became extinct thousand of years ago. The supposition that in the Gran Caverna there was a camp of the Libertador army is based, among other things, on the fact that old graffiti were found written in its walls, as well as items for diverse usages. Cuban insurgent forces back in the 19th century operated nearby, so it is also another evidence for concluding with such a presumption. Further inquiries will be done to corroborate the most recent findings in the cave, where there is also drawings attributed to aboriginal communities. (Adolfo Silva Silva) source: tinyurl.com/dywg5 |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:06:12 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:06:45 GMT
The giant Cuban sloth Megalocnus rodens was the largest of the half-dozen species of sloths that inhabited Cuba. Although pelt coloration, ear size and external features are unknown, something of the physical appearance and adaptations of the Cuban sloths can be gleaned from the study of their bones. The skeleton of Megalocnus rodens marks it at basically a ground dweller. However, its large claws and powerfully built limbs also suggest that it might have been capable of limited climbing. Its lips seem to have been served by nerves and blood vessels of large size, suggesting that they may have been used (in combination with its tongue) to strip off leaves and other plant material. from an excerpt in the Book "Cuba Natural / Natural Cuba" by Alfonso Silva Lee. found here: www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0963018000/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-6384844-8935101#reader-page |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:08:01 GMT
Here goes a quick translation made by me: EXTINCT CUBAN GROUND SLOTH Megalocnus rodens Leidy The Greater Antilles have been inhabited by several Ground Sloth species since 33±2 million years ago. All of them became extinct some thousands years ago though, perhaps shortly after the first arrival of Man to these lands. The biggest of all known species of Ground Sloth in the Antilles as well as the biggest among the terrestrial animals there was Megalocnus rodens, whose remains were first discovered at Baños de Ciego Montero, in today’s Cienfuegos province. It used to live both in Cuba and in the Juventud Island. It was a mammal that supposedly fed on shoots, fresh branches and roots of bushes. Its size was that of a bear, with a thick tail and a fur probably dense and yellowish to caramel coloured. It had long and strong claws in all four extremities and its phalanxes were deformed and somewhat curved inwards, which made its walking essentially slow and clumsy, as in other family members. It seems unlikely that it could climb to the trees. The skeleton shown in this image correspond to an specimen collected by Don Carlos de la Torre y Huerta at the beginning of the XXth century, exhibited in the American Museum of Natural History at New York. The reconstruction of the external features is hypothetic and is based on its present day congeners of South America. |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:08:37 GMT
Thank you very much for the translation. |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:10:44 GMT
Cuba. Sloths survived into the Holocene in Cuba, as evidenced by an AMS 14C date of 6,250 50 yr (Table 3) on a humerus of the largest West Indian sloth, Megalocnus rodens, from a limestone cave (Cueva Beruvides) in Matanzas Province (37). An even younger date (4,960 280 yr BP) is available for a smaller species, Parocnus brownii, from Las Breas de San Felipe, a small tar pit in Matanzas Province (38, 39). The associated fauna at Cueva Beruvides has not yet been pub- lished by its discoverers but is known to include several species of sloths as well as endemic rodents and insectivores. Las Breas de San Felipe has yielded a great variety of fossils in addition to vertebrates, including plants, insects, decapods, and molluscs. The oldest reliable 14C date for a cultural site on Cuba is 5,270 20 yr BP (39). www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/102/33/11763.pdf |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:11:20 GMT
Megalocnus Leidy, 1868. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 20: 180 TYPE SPECIES: Megalocnus rodens Leidy,1868. Megalocnus rodens Leidy, 1868. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 20: 180 TYPE LOCALITY: Ciego Montero (Las Villas, Cuba). DISTRIBUTION: Cuba. SYNONYMS: casimbae Matthew, 1959, ursulus Matthew, 1959, intermedius Mayo, 1969, junius Matthew, 1959. digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/3233/1/N3248.pdf |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:11:57 GMT
What are the linear measurements of Megalocnus? |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:12:30 GMT
It was about as large as a mastiff. |
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:13:06 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 14, 2007 14:16:22 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Sept 6, 2007 22:59:00 GMT
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Post by another specialist on May 5, 2008 17:44:54 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jun 22, 2008 18:18:08 GMT
  Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives By Charles A. Woods, Florence E. Sergile |
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Post by sordes on Aug 9, 2008 10:46:20 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Aug 9, 2008 14:24:52 GMT
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Post by sordes on Aug 9, 2008 19:07:11 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Aug 9, 2008 19:29:54 GMT
Page 122  |
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Post by another specialist on Dec 15, 2008 22:17:22 GMT
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Post by Sebbe on Oct 24, 2015 10:22:03 GMT
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