A 43,000 Year Old Piece of Ground Sloth Shit in Argentina

Scientists recently analyzed the oldest known piece of ground sloth shit. It is 43,000 years old and was found at the Cueva Cacao site in the mountains of Argentina. Scientists believe the coprolite came from a species of ground sloth belonging to the Mylodontidae Family. There were 4 species of Mylodontid sloths living in Argentina during the late Pleistocene including Darwin’s ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii), Neomylodon listae, lestodon (Lestodon armatus), and glossotherium (Glossotherium robustus). Scientists don’t know which species of mylodon the piece of shit came from, but they believe it came from a mylodon sloth because it is similar to the shape of coprolites that they recognize from other turds they know came from mylodon sloths. The coprolite consists of pollen and chewed up plant fragments. DNA analysis found at least 31 species of plants in the coprolite with the shrub Adesmia and fescue grass (Fetusca chrysophilla) being the most abundant. These species of plants are…