Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument
Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument | |
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IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
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Mylodon's Cave
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Location | Magallanes Region, Chile |
Coordinates | 51°33′56″S 72°37′11″W / 51.56556°S 72.61972°WCoordinates: 51°33′56″S 72°37′11″W / 51.56556°S 72.61972°W |
Governing body | Corporación Nacional Forestal |
Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument is a Natural Monument located in the Chilean Patagonia,[1] 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Puerto Natales and 270 km (168 mi) north of Punta Arenas. The monument is situated along the flanks of Cerro Benitez.[2] It comprises several caves and a rock formation called Silla del Diablo (Devil's Chair). The monument includes a cave which is notable for the discovery in 1895 of skin, bones and other parts of a giant ground sloth called Mylodon (Mylodon darwini).
Milodon Cave[edit]
The largest cave in the monument is the 200 m long Milodon Cave. It was discovered in 1895 by Hermann Eberhard, German explorer of Patagonia. He found a large, seemingly fresh piece of skin of an unidentified animal. In 1896 the cave was explored by Otto Nordenskjöld and later it was recognized that the skin belonged to Mylodon - an extinct animal which died 10,200 - 13,560 years ago.
In the cave and other caves of the monument have been found remnants of other extinct animals and human remnants.
At the entrance of the monument is a life size replica of the prehistoric Mylodon, which was a very large herbivore, somewhat resembling a large bear. It became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch.
Mylodon remains[edit]
Investigations determined the survival of the Milodon until about 5,000 years ago and confirmed the existence of other animals, such as the "Dwarf Horse" Hippidion, the saber-toothed cat Smilodon and the litoptern Macrauchenia[3]
Human remains[edit]
Diverse elements of human habitation are found[4] at Cueva del Milodón including fire-fractured rock, lithic tools and human remains. Human habitation at Cueva del Milodón is dated as early as 6000 BC.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Ciudad de Puerto Natales: Cueva del Milodon
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Cueva del Milodon, Megalithic Portal, 13 April 2008 [1]
- ^ Milodón's Cave in Letsgochile.com
- ^ [2]
- ^ Calvin J. Heusser (2003) ‘'Ice Age Southern Andes: A Chronicle of Paleoecological Events'‘, Elsevier, 240 pages ISBN 0-444-51478-3
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- IUCN Category III
- Protected areas of Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region
- Archaeological sites in Chile
- Natural monuments of Chile
- Paleontological sites of Chile
- Pleistocene paleontological sites of South America
- 1895 in paleontology
- Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region geography stubs
- South American protected area stubs