Knowledge Bank

A skeleton of the giant ground sloth Megalonyx jeffersonii was excavated from a farm in Holmes County, Ohio, in 1890. It was mounted and installed in the Orton Geological Museum at The Ohio State University in 1896. The exact location of the excavation has been somewhat ambiguous. Using a combination of contemporary reports, geologic studies, and satellite information, the excavation site in Berlin Township, Holmes County, Ohio, has been identified. In the process of trying to identify the excavation site, new information about the skeleton including how the mount was constructed has come to light.