Links to Orton Museum's Collection

Giant ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii:

Did you know that Megalonyx was the first genus of fossil named from the USA? It was named by Thomas Jefferson, of Monticello, Virginia, in 1799.

The Megalonyx skeleton from Holmes County, Ohio, which was mounted in 1896 and now stands in the Orton Geological Museum, has an important place in the annals of science-- it was the first reconstructed skeleton of Jefferson's ground sloth.

Here is a list of references pertaining to the Holmes County Megalonyx, which we call "Jeff", to the original descriptions of Megalonyx by Thomas Jefferson and Caspar Wistar, and to related studies on Megalonyx and some other large Pleistocene mammals from North America.

For stories about the Holmes County Megalonyx here are some links:

"Jeff," the giant ground sloth

It's the youngest sloth known!

Jeff the giant sloth

Youngest radiocarbon age for Jefferson's ground sloth

Study highlights ancient Ohio sloth

Conway Mastodon, on display at the Ohio History Connection:

Conway Mastodon at Ohio History Center

The Conway Mastodon

Cryolophosaurus ellioti, cast of skeleton at the Field Museum of Natural History:

The new dino at OSU's Orton Geological Museum is freakin' awesome

Beware of dinosaur: Skeleton replica on the prowl in Ohio State's Orton Hall