I can’t help noticing how much the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) resembles the illustration of Pamptherium above. Maybe we didn’t necessarily miss all the good monsters. Although their numbers and fortunes are unfortunately dwindling more and more, we modern humans are the contemporaries of large, impressive terrestrial animals; like rhinos, elephants, giraffes, crocodillians, hippopotomi, bison, brown bears, big cats, large apes… even birds, like condors and ostriches. And, of course, many of us believe it’s possible that we live among other large and/or relict animals, although they may be scarce, shy, living in remote areas, and unrecognized by science.

You make an interesting point about the animal’s morphology, Kursk. I once read a theory that saber-toothed cats died out because they were too adapted to preying upon megafauna. Once the large land mammals started dying out, the smilodons starved because they weren’t efficient at hunting smaller prey such as rabbits.

I doubt this theory myself because I dont think a giant sloth could be as elusive as a great ape.

But anyway thanks for the feedback Matt_J

How could it have evolved from a sloth into an ape?

There have been reports of megatherium still being around, but they were in much more southern reaches of South [America], in Patagonia and along the mountains to the west.

I doubt the glyptodons are still around, being that much more of South [America] was savannah when they thrived. I would give it a better chance to some of the cats might still be living in the jungles, if any of these animals are still alive.

Wdsasquatch: Highly unlikely, but who knows…

Great link, Loren.