LMX164 - MUSEUM CLASS NEARLY 9 INCH FOSSIL CLAW OF A MEGALONYX PREHISTORIC GIANT GROUND SLOTH

Product Description

ID

Megalonyx sp.

FOUND

Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.A.

AGE

PLIOCENE / PLEISTOCENE:  1.8 million years

SIZE

8.75" in length on the dorsal curve, 
7.5" straight-line measurement

CONDITION

NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION - EXTREME
TIP WORN BUT OTHERWISE COMPLETE
DOWN TO THE TINY PROCESSES ON
THE BOTTOM SIDES.

THIS IS THE LARGEST AND FINEST
MEGALONYX CLAW WE EVER OFFERED!

NOTE

SUPER RARE IN EVERY WAY!
LAB CLEANED AND METICULOUSLY
DETAILED / PRESERVED!

INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX - Actual Item - One Only

Comes with a certificate of
 authenticity / information sheet

 CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GIANT SLOTHS 

First, it is important to preface this description with the fact that this is not of the giant sloth Eremotherium which has claws that can exceed a foot in length, this is the smaller  Megalonyx giant sloth and considering this where most claws found are half this size,  this is a true prize specimen.  At 8.75 inches in length, this is a  MASSIVE and INVESTMENT-CLASS specimen, the largest we have seen (impressive coming from a company in the midst of the richest fossil deposits of this beast in North America).  Everything you see in the photos above is  100% ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC AND COMPLETE AS FOUND!   There is no repair, restoration or enhancement and only a paleontological hardener was applied to stabilize the specimen.  If you wish to own one of the most impressive and probably will be the largest claw of this Ice Age beast you will ever see, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make it happen.  Meticulously prepared in our lab (see our Instagram feed).

Of the finest state of preservation rivaling a modern bone, this remarkable fossil claw is a MUST as it is the highest possible quality - clearly the best, AND LARGEST we have ever had and preserved in a state that would be impossible to improve on.  Even the tiny processes on each bottom side, are still intact and complete. Perfect and dense articulating surfaces are also a bonus feature of this specimen.

The genus Megalonyx (means "large claw") was labeled as such by President Thomas Jefferson. President Jefferson's creation of this genus represents an interesting historical event as it was one of the first records of early paleontology in North America.  It was originally believed that the large claw discovered and assigned to this group was from a giant carnivore.  Later, it was recognized to be xenarthran in its design.  There were four Megalonyx species that emerged in Florida starting in the Early Pliocene.  As each successive species emerged, they became increasingly larger in body size:  Megalonyx curvidens,  Megalonyx leptostomus, Megalonyx wheatleyi and finally Megalonyx jeffersoni which grew to the size of a black bear.  This was the only family (the Megalonychids) of giant sloths that did not walk on the sides of their feet like the other types.  The teeth of Megalonychids are oval to sub-rectangular.  Their claws are sharp, curved and laterally compressed.