Jefferson Sloth Colouring

Jefferson's ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii, lived across an enormous part of North America. Fossils are known from Alaska and Canada through much of the United States and into Mexico. It was named in honour of Thomas Jefferson, who studied unusual fossil claws sent from what is now West Virginia. Adults were roughly the size of a large ox, with a broad body, powerful legs, a short face and long curved claws. The hind feet turned inward, so tracks look different from those of a bear. It was smaller than the gigantic South American Megatherium but still far larger than any living tree sloth. Teeth and habitat evidence indicate a plant-eater that browsed leaves and shrubs in wooded areas. This sloth's special character was its combination of strong digging or pulling claws and a preference for forests and forest edges. It could probably rear up with help from its tail to reach higher plants. Fossils do not preserve an exact lifespan, and no last individual was named. The species disappeared around the end of the last Ice Age, about 11,000 years ago. Warming altered North American vegetation and water supplies, while people spread through the same landscapes. Evidence does not identify one cause for every population, so scientists consider climate, habitat change and hunting together. For colouring, choose chocolate brown, russet, smoky grey or honey tan for the fur. Add cream around the muzzle and inner ears, dark brown for the nose, and ivory for the claws. Use short curved strokes on the shaggy shoulders and longer strokes down the sides. Colour the woodland with deep green ferns, olive leaves, a grey-brown trunk and yellow-green meadow grass. Distant conifers can be dark green and hills pale blue or purple. Keep the claw spaces light so each long curve stays visible. The bear-like outline may fool you at first, but look for the small head, inward-turned feet and unusually long claws. Those details make Jefferson's ground sloth a wonderful example of a slow plant-eater that once crossed much of North America.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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