Vietnam.vn - Nền tảng quảng bá Việt Nam

Ground sloth fossils reveal unknown historical secrets

Rudimentary tool marks on ground sloth bones hold shocking evidence: our ancestors may have been hunting since before the Ice Age.

Báo Khoa học và Đời sốngBáo Khoa học và Đời sống16/07/2025

hoa-thach-1.jpg
Archaeologists have found fossils of a giant ground sloth (Lestodon armatus) at the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site, near Sauce, Uruguay. They say the discovery could push back the earliest evidence of human presence in South America by thousands of years. Photo: RA Fariña et al., Swiss Journal of Palaeontology.
hoa-thach-2.jpg
The fossil of the extinct giant ground sloth is a heel bone dating back about 33,000 years. On this bone there is a distinct circular depression, about 21 mm in diameter and nearly 41 mm deep. Photo: RA Fariña et al., Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (2025).
hoa-thach-3.jpg
This wound bears the characteristics of a prehistoric human weapon. Photo: Chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 4.0.
hoa-thach-4.jpg
According to experts, the Arroyo del Vizcaíno area is where more than 2,000 skeletons of at least 15 large animals were discovered, most of them belonging to Lestodon armatus - a giant ground sloth that could grow up to 4m long. Photo: ResearchGate.
hoa-thach-5.jpg
The Arroyo del Vizcaíno area is home to an extremely dense concentration of prehistoric animals. Radiocarbon dating has shown that the remains found there are approximately 33,000 years old. Photo: Ancient-origins.
hoa-thach-6.jpg
Dr. Richard Fariña, a paleontologist at the University of the Republic of Uruguay and lead author of the study, said that examination of the heel bone revealed organic fibers embedded in the indentation, suggesting the presence of plant material. The team speculated that the weapon that wounded the giant ground sloth may have been a spear made of wood. Photo: reddit.
hoa-thach-7.jpg
Prior to this discovery, experts believed the earliest human presence was around 23,000 years ago based on footprints found in White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Photo: mullerornis.medium.com.
hoa-thach-8.jpg
However, new evidence found in Uruguay pushes this date back by nearly 10,000 years, suggesting that humans were hunting large animals in South America long before the Last Ice Age (around 26,500 to 19,000 years ago). Photo: AuntSpray | Shutterstock.
hoa-thach-9.jpg
The condition of the giant ground sloth’s wounds suggests that the animal was hunted at close range, which is consistent with the use of spears or similar weapons by prehistoric humans to hunt large animals. Photo: Tim Sharp.
hoa-thach-10.jpg
Researchers suggest that the weapon used by prehistoric humans may have had a rounded head made of hardwood, bone or ivory and was attached to a wooden handle. Photo: deviantart.
Readers are invited to watch the video : Discovering many new species in the Mekong River Region. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/hoa-thach-luoi-dat-tiet-lo-bi-mat-lich-su-chua-tung-biet-post1554937.html


Comment (0)

No data
No data
Magical scene on the 'upside down bowl' tea hill in Phu Tho
3 islands in the Central region are likened to Maldives, attracting tourists in the summer
Watch the sparkling Quy Nhon coastal city of Gia Lai at night
Image of terraced fields in Phu Tho, gently sloping, bright and beautiful like mirrors before the planting season
Z121 Factory is ready for the International Fireworks Final Night
Famous travel magazine praises Son Doong cave as 'the most magnificent on the planet'
Mysterious cave attracts Western tourists, likened to 'Phong Nha cave' in Thanh Hoa
Discover the poetic beauty of Vinh Hy Bay
How is the most expensive tea in Hanoi, priced at over 10 million VND/kg, processed?
Taste of the river region

Heritage

Figure

Business

No videos available

News

Political System

Local

Product