The curious case of the Ground Sloth

[Sailor.X]

Over the past few decades something interesting has been happening people in remote forests and swamps of the US have been seeing something scientists insist is extinct. They have been seeing living Ground Sloths. Here are a few cases.

Gorp

The gorp or slothfoot is a ground sloth-like cryptid reported from the United States, principally the Ozarks and the Appalachians. As with the South American mapinguari, all alleged cryptid ground sloths reported from North America—including from Nevada, California, and Georgia—are sometimes...

cryptidarchives.fandom.com

Gorp

The gorp or slothfoot is a ground sloth-like cryptid reported from the United States, principally the Ozarks and the Appalachians. As with the South American mapinguari, all alleged cryptid ground sloths reported from North America—including from Nevada, California, and Georgia—are sometimes...

cryptidarchives.fandom.com

Gorp

The gorp or slothfoot is a ground sloth-like cryptid reported from the United States, principally the Ozarks and the Appalachians. As with the South American mapinguari, all alleged cryptid ground sloths reported from North America—including from Nevada, California, and Georgia—are sometimes...

cryptidarchives.fandom.com

In Canada

Saytoechin

The saytoechin (Unknown, possibly Northern Tutchone: "beaver eater") is a cryptid reported from the boreal forests of the Yukon in Canada, described as a large, dangerous animal which has been likened to a giant ground sloth. The saytoechin was identified by multiple interviewees with an image...

cryptidarchives.fandom.com

Giant squirrel

In the folklore of the the Micmac Indians of Nova Scotia, Canada, "giant squirrels" used to descend upon the villages and eat the bark wigwams or teepees. Although they never harmed people, they were a nuisance to the Micmacs because they destroyed their houses. Eventually the squirrels...

cryptidarchives.fandom.com

And just this year on the Ozarks a man came face to face with a Ground Sloth in the deep woods. I think we might need to launch some expeditions into the more remote forests in the US and Canada. There might be a few surviving relic populations of Ground Sloths on the continent. It would bare some investigation at least. What are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[Comrade Clod]

No, because we would have noticed them.

 

[Es Arcanum]

People probably mistaking bears I'd say.

 

[Sailor.X]

No, because we would have noticed them.

People did notice them Native Americans did. They clearly called them something very different from a Bear. Also contrary to what many people think. A good chunk of the US and Canada is largely unexplored. You have some very dense forests practically no one goes into.

That is a lot of space for something to just go unnoticed by the modern world.

 

[Comrade Clod]

People did notice them Native Americans did. They clearly called them something very different from a Bear. Also contrary to what many people think. A good chunk of the US and Canada is largely unexplored. You have some very dense forests practically no one goes into.

That is a lot of space for something to just go unnoticed by the modern world.

No it isn't, because we know where the ground sloths lived.

The last mainland ones we have evidence of are the Shasta ground sloths, after that its the Antilles sloths.

And even if we didn't see the sloths themselves we would most assuredly find their leavings or remains.

 

[Sailor.X]

No it isn't, because we know where the ground sloths lived.

The last mainland ones we have evidence of are the Shasta ground sloths, after that its the Antilles sloths.

And even if we didn't see the sloths themselves we would most assuredly find their leavings or remains.

That is not true. Do you know how many Ground Sloths lived in North America during the last Ice Age? There were more than just Shasta Ground Sloths there.

Nothrotheriops - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Megalonyx - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Paramylodon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Eremotherium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There were very different kinds of Sloths in the US 11,000 years ago not just one kind.

Have you ever tried to find a Bear carcass in a pine forest. Try you won't find one.

 

[Comrade Clod]

That is not true. Do you know how many Ground Sloths lived in North America during the last Ice Age? There were more than just Shasta Ground Sloths there.

Nothrotheriops - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Megalonyx - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Paramylodon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Eremotherium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There were very different kinds of Sloths in the US 11,000 years ago not just one kind.

Have you ever tried to find a Bear carcass in a pine forest. Try you won't find one.

THE LAST THAT WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF.

And believe me that if all the fur traders and natives bringing fur to said traders didn't give some sloth fur, thee ain't any slotjs.

 

[Sailor.X]

THE LAST THAT WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF.

And believe me that if all the fur traders and natives bringing fur to said traders didn't give some sloth fur, thee ain't any slotjs.

You do realize ground sloths have dermal armor right. They are not something you would shoot with 18th and 19th century firearms and expect to survive. And that is not even taking into account they aren't slow. They aren't bear fast but faster than us.

 

[Deleted member 1]

It’s theoretically possible but unlike say a species we haven’t seen since the 1920s it becomes statistically less and less likely. Especially in the eastern US where almost all forests were cut down at varying points. Still, I remember an elder of an indigenous nation commenting that all the whites who spent enough time in the forest knew that there were things there they cannot explain. He is right, of course.

 

[Sailor.X]

It’s theoretically possible but unlike say a species we haven’t seen since the 1920s it becomes statistically less and less likely. Especially in the eastern US where almost all forests were cut down at varying points. Still, I remember an elder of an indigenous nation commenting that all the whites who spent enough time in the forest knew that there were things there they cannot explain. He is right, of course.

I remember an episode of Monster quest where they found a 19ft long American Crocodile in the everglades. The thing is up until that point when people reported sightings. The so called experts would either call them crazy or say they were seeing things. It is why I want a proper scientific expedition done into the deep forests of North America. Native Tribes knew of these beasts. Maybe it is time to really look into those legends.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Don't worry, soon much of Humanity will (de)evolve to replace the North American Ground Sloths entirely.

 

[Lanmandragon]

THE LAST THAT WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF.

And believe me that if all the fur traders and natives bringing fur to said traders didn't give some sloth fur, thee ain't any slotjs.

Maybe but consider that the mountain gorrila was considered fake. Right up until they found them. The issue of course being thier very reclusive nature. I don't see why a similar situation couldn't be going on for sloths.

 

[Sailor.X]

Maybe but consider that the mountain gorrila was considered fake. Right up until they found them. The issue of course being thier very reclusive nature. I don't see why a similar situation couldn't be going on for sloths.

Modern Tree Sloths are also very reclusive because they have a very large winged predator that just loves to eat them. So there is Genus precedent.

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

I fail to see why there should be no Giant Sloths left. Leaving aside that they could simpy be that reclusive, we do find a lot of species that are supposed to be extinct. Like that one fish that looks like it's made out of stone.

 

[Sailor.X]

I fail to see why there should be no Giant Sloths left. Leaving aside that they could simpy be that reclusive, we do find a lot of species that are supposed to be extinct. Like that one fish that looks like it's made out of stone.

We found a whole species of Deer in Vietnam that was new to science. And we all know how many people were stomping through Vietnam during the 60s.

 

[Quickdraw101]

While it's certainly possible there's plenty of animal species still roaming the vast wilderness of the North American continent, as time marches on and humans continue to tear down those forested areas, it becomes less and less likely that they haven't gone extinct.

 

[Lanmandragon]

While it's certainly possible there's plenty of animal species still roaming the vast wilderness of the North American continent, as time marches on and humans continue to tear down those forested areas, it becomes less and less likely that they haven't gone extinct.

I agree with this. It's unlikely they are still around. Saying it's impossible isn't correct though.

 

[Sailor.X]

While it's certainly possible there's plenty of animal species still roaming the vast wilderness of the North American continent, as time marches on and humans continue to tear down those forested areas, it becomes less and less likely that they haven't gone extinct.

With all the Native Legends of strange looking long tailed Bears that walk funny. I would say they still exist.

 

[Scottty]

No, because we would have noticed them.

Well, it seems that people have begun to do exactly that.

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

With all the Native Legends of strange looking long tailed Bears that walk funny. I would say they still exist.

Just offhand comment, but you can have oral traditions that go back a long, long time. You wouldn't believe the kinds of things we find reference to in aboriginal myths for example.