JAX CURIOSITY SHOP: GENTLE GIANTS

(Source of picture:  From the wonderful website Florida Frontier Gazette.  Used with permission.)

Here's a ground sloth, another ancient inhabitant of the First Coast.  If we stood next to him, we would see how monstrous in size this low-key beast grew.

FLORIDA'S BIGGEST -- In modern times, tree sloths live in Central & South America and grow to the size of  housecats.  They would've been just pets to their forebears.  The sloths of ancient Florida were so big that they could have reached up & touched a Skyway monorail car in Jacksonville.  Indeed, ground sloths were the largest land animal to ever reside in Florida. 

Sloths looked like a really furry bear with a thick tail, but they stood 17 feet tall, the height of housetop.  They tipped the scales at six tons, bigger than today's African bull elephants. 

Sloths probably walked on all four legs most of the time, but they didn't drag their tails. What did they use their tails for?  Sloths liked to munch on plant matter.  They sat on their haunches, plucking tree branches & digging roots.  To get at the leaves, they reached their arms another seven to eight feet into the air.  Therefore, they used their thick tails for added support when rearing up.

HANDY SLOTHS -- Each sloth hand sported  five fingers & three huge claws, which pulled down branches from magnolias, live oaks, & sweet gums.  As for branches that the sloths couldn't reach, their powerful arms could break down whole trees.  Sloths also wield their claws in self-defense.  And this was a good thing, since saber-tooth cats stalked sloths.  

Speed-wise, the harmless vegetarian presented an easy target.  It eased along at no more than one to two miles per hour.  However, it left a footprint that was three feet long.  This has proven to be one of the largest ever found from a land mammal.  By the way, sloths may also have been able to swim.

SIESTAS FOR SLOTHS -- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's sleepiest mammals nowadays are certain species of sloths, possums, & armadillos.  They spend as much as 80% of their time in slumber.  This proves an efficient use of their energy, which isn't high. 

Sloths don't have much "oomph" because of their slow rates of metabolism, poor quality plant diets, and rather low body temperatures.  Consequently, sloths move slowly, claim small territories, and travel little.  In this vein, the slowest mammal on the planet is the three-toed sloth from South America.  It ambles along at an average ground speed of 6 to 8 feet per minute, but it can "zoom" up to 15 feet per minute in trees. 

AN INSULT -- Although sloths fit their niche in nature, their name has been borrowed for a negative adjective.  If you call someone "slothful," you're probably describing him or her as being lazy.  A classic example of a slothful character is Ensign Pulver, played by Jack Lemmon in the WWII movie "Mister Roberts." The young officer spent most of his time in his bunk "thinking."  Although onboard a small ship, he didn't meet his Captain until after six months!