Evening star., 1928-12-29
Fossil Sloth's Body.
100000 Years Old,
Acquired by Yale
Prehistoric Specimen Has
Articulated Bones and
Yellow Fur.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW HAVEN, Conn, December 29--
The fossil of a ground-sloth, between
100000 and 100000 years old, per
haps the most remarkable that has ever
come to light" has been acquired by
the Peabody Museum of Yale Uni
versity, it was revealed here yesterday
by Prof. Richard Swan Lull, director
OF the museum, who announced that
ne would read paper describing the
FOSSIL before the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, now
meeting in New York,
The animal which has been extinct
since PneStocene time, probably was
about feet long, from its nose to
the tip OF its heavy tail. The skeleton
was found in Santa Ana County,
N. Mex, and is in surprising state
of preservation. according to Prof Lull.
Not only Is the entire skeleton present,
but the bones are held in articulation
by the original tendons and ligaments
and several portions of the hide re-
main, bearing patches of dense, pale
yellow hair.
Found I'm Volcanic Pit.
The fossil was discovered in the bot
tom Of pit of volcanic formation near
the town of Alden, about As miles north
west OF FL PaSo. Ewing WaterhouSe
of El Paso and two companions
descended into the hole for a depth of
more than 100 vertical feet and there
found the skeleton, covered with an
accumulation of bat-guano, which had
preserved it. Prof. Lull believes that
1000 900 years ago, while being chased
by other beasts. A more complete ex-
ploration of the hole will be made soon
to learn whether other fossils may be
found there.
Waterhouse communicated with the
university after the skeleton had been
brought to the surface and, through
O fund established at Yale by the
bequest of r. Mitchell Prudden, the
specimen was obtained for the Peabody
Museum, where it is now mounted.
"Only two other ground sloths have
been discovered" commented Prof. LUZ,
"in which any of the soft parts have
been preserved. One was at Consuelo
Cove, Last Hope Inlet, at the extreme
southern end OF South America, and
the other was reported many years ago
In Big Bone Cave, Tenn. The new
Yale specimen shows all that any other
discovery has revealed and more, be-
cause of the entirety of the skeleton. /"
Certain features of this animal, which
had not attained full stature, are espe-
cially interesting to scientists, says Prof.
Lull The head was small for the
bodily hulk and the teeth were without
enamel and grew continuously. A well
preserved food ball" found with the
animal, will be analyzed to learn upon
what plants the sloth preferred to feed.
Another interesting thing about this
slot1 was the curious distortion Of the
hind feet, which were so formed that
the outer edge rested upon the ground,
bringing the three long claws, which
pointed inward, clear of the earth.
There must have been well devel-
oped shock absorbing pad on the outer,
or In this case the lower, margin OF
the foot to bear the creatures weight" "
explains Prof. Lull. 1.-THE hind limbs
were much more robust than the fore,
which were longer, slenderer and highly
mobile organs endowed with five strong
curved claws. The hands were used
for digging or for tearing down the
branches OF trees"
The skeleton is complete except for
the outermost claw of the right forefoot.
which evidently was lost in an accident
during the sloths lifetime.