Mega mammals lasted a long time

Large mammals may have lived alongside humans in South America for several thousand years longer than scientists first thought. South America was once home to creatures such as elephants, sabre-toothed cats and sloths that weighed more than four tonnes. Today, its largest native land mammal (one originally from South America) is the tapir, which weighs up to 0.3 tonnes. Although supersized mammals have long since disappeared from the continent, a new study suggests they lived alongside people for thousands of years before going extinct. For the study, researchers analysed teeth from several animals, including a huge sloth and a large, extinct llama. The teeth were found in Brazil. The results suggested a number of species survived in South America for a long time after the arrival of humans – in…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 478

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