This small grant for exploratory research will allow for the recovery of a remarkably intact specimen of Pleistocene giant ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersoni. This sample is notable because of its in situ location in the geologically well-studied DeForest formation, allowing for good age control, as well as the presence of caudal vertebrae, missing in almost every other specimen. The recovery of the sloth will shed light on the paleoecology of the sloth at or near the Pleistocene/Holocene megafaunal extinction event. Of the five other most complete Megalonyx fossils, only the American Falls sloth is as complete, and in that case the caudal remains are absent; two of the others were excavated over a century ago, and a third was recovered badly damaged from backhoe spoil. This sample is contained within the banks of the West Tarkio Creek, and was protected by a small coffer dam that collapsed in 2004. The remains are in danger of being lost to erosion from spring flooding in the area.
Student and citizen volunteers are used extensively by this project -- both in the sample collection and in the lab preparation phases. The remains will form part of a newly designed display at the Museum of Natural history at the University of Iowa. The dig has been followed closely by the local media, and a website documents various aspects of the project: the different phases of the dig, the collected specimens, the people involved, the scientific interpretation, media coverage, and plans for the exhibit. In the past, the effort to recover the slot has been part of the Iowa State Fair, and even during nationally televised Iowa basketball half-time shows.
