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RARE COMPLETE GLOSSOTHERIUM GIANT GROUND SLOTH TUSK - Citrus County - Florida, U.S.A. LATE PLIOCENE PERIOD: 2.6 - 1.8 million years ago This is a COMPLETE and very RARE fossil tusk from the extinct giant ground sloth Glossotherium chapadmalense. It is THE ABSOLUTE FINEST tusk we have handled from this species and it cannot be improved on! From an old and very impressive private collection of Florida fossils, this tusk is complete with delicate hollow root, fully intact chewing surface, dramatic growth lines and full enamel! Glossy surface is NOT from varnish or polishing. It was caused by a unique deposit on this river where fossils found have this extensive natural polishing by the river current. Color appears black but is actually a very dark red brown akin to the richest dark rosewood. The second photo from the top shows a hint of this exquisite color on the curved surface but it is richer in person in strong light. This exceptional specimen is far, far more rare than a typical dinosaur tooth! This particular species of extinct giant sloths is less common in fossil collections. INVESTMENT GRADE TUSK THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE GRADE 10 EXAMPLE!Incisor tusks from giant ground sloths are very difficult to find in complete condition. They lack the heavy enamel of other mammalian teeth and often do not survive intact. This remarkable specimen is all there from beveled tip to the root socket. Dramatic growth lines are plainly visible. Tusk is even better in person! Add this to your tusk collection for a real show-stopper when it comes to unique mammal fossils from North America! Perfect for advanced collectors seeking the most unique and finest grade specimens in today's fossil market awash with mostly commercial, altered, and poor quality fossils. Guaranteed NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. This beauty is AS FOUND! Ground sloths were slow-moving herbivores that died out at the end of the Pleistocene Period. They are survived today only by dog-sized tree-dwelling forms found in Central and South America. Some prehistoric giant ground sloths grew as large as a modern elephant. Giant ground sloths were so large that they were not able to climb trees, hence their land-roving lifestyle. Giant sloths are related to armadillos, sharing similar designs in their blunt, deep skulls as well as their mandibles. Their jaws were powered by very robust muscles for chewing vegetation and each jaw possessed three to five teeth. Giant ground sloths possessed very large feet sporting massive claws. Their claws were so large that they walked on the sides of their feet. Sloths could stand on their hind legs aided by a very strong tail, to reach vegetation at levels higher than other herbivores could typically reach. Prehistoric Florida was home to three families of giant ground sloths - Mylodontidae, Megatheriidae and Megalonychidae. It is theorized that sloths first entered North America through Florida, nine million years ago from the South American continent. The first sloths in Florida (and North America) were the Mylodonts represented by two species of the genus Thinobadistes and the Megalonychids represented by the genus Pliometanastes. Later in the Pliocene, sloths again entered Florida with two Mylodont species, Glossotherium chapadmalense and Paramylodon harlani, and with the Megalonychids genus, Megalonyx. By the Early Pleistocene, the largest ground sloths appeared, the Megatheriidae with several species represented. The largest ground sloth to have ever lived in North America is a member of this last group and is known as Eremotherium. This male Eremotheriums grew to an estimated THREE TONS. Giant ground sloths in North America went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene. SURREAL SPECIMEN, FINEST WE HAVE HANDLED - RARELY FOUND INTACT AND THIS ONE IS PERFECT! 4.1" in length $695 LM3-015 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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