Recent discoveries in Brazil suggest that early humans lived alongside giant ground sloths for thousands of years, challenging the long-held belief that human arrival led to the rapid extinction of these massive creatures.
Research from the archaeological site of Santa Elina in central Brazil indicates that bones of giant ground sloths show signs of human manipulation. These sloths, which once roamed from Alaska to Argentina, may have had their bony structures, called osteoderms, used for decorative purposes.
Mírian Pacheco, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, has found that sloth fossils, dated to approximately 27,000 years ago, display evidence of intentional alteration, suggesting they were used as jewelry or adornment. This timeline predates previous estimates of human arrival in the Americas by over 10,000 years.
Pacheco's findings, alongside other recent research, indicate that humans may have coexisted with these animals for at least 10,000 years, rather than causing their extinction shortly after arriving.
While the Clovis culture, identified through artifacts dated around 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, was once thought to represent the first human presence in the Americas, new evidence from sites like Monte Verde in Chile and Arroyo del Vizcaíno in Uruguay suggests earlier human activity.
The study of fossilized bones and chemical changes has provided insights into the timing of human interaction with these ancient animals. Pacheco's team has determined that modifications to the sloth osteoderms occurred shortly after the animals died, ruling out the possibility of working with much older fossils.
While the debate regarding the exact timing of human arrival in the Americas continues, it is evident that early humans did not immediately lead to the extinction of the giant fauna they encountered, as previously thought.