Wrinkly Sloth

 In 2002 Richard Fariña published a paper in Ameghina that, while it did not forever change the view of Megatherium, did cast an interesting perspective on what the animal may have looked like. The popular outlets for prehistoric animal shows may not have adopted the look since that paper was released, but some artists, like Marcus Burkhardt (http://natural-and-history-art.de/en/home/) have at least given the idea some thought an produced hypothetical reconstructions incorporating Fariña's hypothesis. What is that hypothesis, one might be asking at this point. The hypothesis contends that, due to their size, it may have been possible that Megatherium was not covered in fur, as it is often depicted, but may have been covered by loose wrinkly skin, more like a modern elephant than the fur covered "ice age" animals we think of. The premise is that, at their size, fur would have potentially maintained their body temperature such that it would have caused overheating that would have been potentially lethal. Taking away the heat retention of fur is thought to have made this less of a problem. However, as the artist makes clear in his description, this idea and the graphic representation of this idea are speculative at best because we do not have any preserved Megatherium integument and fur (or lack thereof). The interpretation is interesting either way.