Safari Ltd. Megatherium (Giant Sloth) Figurine - Detailed 4.5" Plastic Model Figure - Fun Educational Play Toy for Boys, Girls & Kids Ages 3+

Safari Ltd. Megatherium (Giant Sloth) Figurine - Detailed 4.5" Plastic Model Figure - Fun Educational Play Toy for Boys, Girls & Kids Ages 3+

• Detailed Representation: The Giant Sloth toy figure accurately represents the Megatherium americanum, the largest of its kind. With stubby legs, long arms, strong grinding teeth, and large claws, our expertly sculpted figure allows a closer look at this extinct giant sloth.
• Educational Value: The figure serves as a unique learning resource about this prehistoric animal and its environment, fostering children's curiosity about prehistory and promoting imaginative play.
• Safe and High-Quality: Crafted from durable, high-quality PVC, the Giant Sloth figure is built to last. It is non-toxic and BPA-free, meeting rigorous safety standards and suitable for children aged 3 and above.
• Dimensions: The model measures 4.5 inches high and 3.5 inches long, allowing for easy handling and exploration of its intricate details.
• Part of a Collection: This Giant Sloth figure is part of the Wild Safari Prehistoric World collection, offering a wide range of prehistoric animals for young explorers to discover.

Megatherium, the so-called ‘giant sloth’, was a massive ground-dwelling relative of modern sloths. This particular species, Megatherium americanum, was the largest of its kind. It browsed for plants in South America during the Pleistocene and became extinct just ten thousand years ago. Megatherium americanum was a large plant-eating mammal with stubby legs and relatively long arms. It was covered with hair and had a blunt skull with strong grinding teeth. It had a broad pelvis and a short tail, and could balance in a squat tripod pose. The large claws on its hands helped it to pull down branches to feed on leaves, and it may have also had a long tongue. It reached 20 feet long – the size of an elephant. This figure is 4.5 inches high and 3.5 inches long. It has yellow-brown fur to reflect the most recent scientific evidence. Megatherium americanum was first named scientifically in 1796 by the eminent French anatomist and ‘father of palaeontology’, Georges Cuvier. He recognized it was an extinct giant sloth, which was significant at the time because the concept of prehistory was only just being understood. He named it Megatherium, which means ‘large beast’. The oldest examples of the genus Megatherium are 5.4 million years old, but the massive species Megatherium americanum evolved much later, in the Pleistocene, around 1.8 million years ago. Humans lived alongside the giant sloth and human hunters may have contributed to its extinction, just ten thousand years ago.