Giant Sloth
(Reader Contribution to 10 Most Amazing Extinct Animals)
Evolving from the tree sloths in South America, ground sloths were very distantly related to anteaters and armadillos. As this animal adapted from a tree dweller to being ground-based, its limbs still showed a relationship to its ancestors. Typically, ground sloths walked on the sides of their hind feet and the backs of their forefeet.
(http://www.tarpits.org/education/guide/flora/sloth.html)
The largest giant (or ground) sloths (the megatheriid) include the heavily-built Megatherium. The skeletal structure of these ground sloths indicates that the animals were massive. Their thick bones and even thicker joints (especially those on the hind legs) gave their appendages tremendous power that, combined with their size and fearsome claws, provided a formidable defense against predators.
With more than five tons in weight, 6 meters in length, and able to reach as high as 17 feet (5.2 m), it was taller than an African Bush Elephant bull.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_sloth)
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