We’re always amazed at how much juicy information about the Mountain State didn’t quite make that one year of state history lessons in school. But it’s understandable since there is so much more to West Virginia than anyone can ever expect to discover in one lifetime.
One of those unexpectedly awesome things involves sloths. It's hard to resist smiling when you see this adorable, slow-moving arboreal mammal that spends its time mostly hanging upside down from tree limbs.
Sloths have been around for at least 60 million years and evolved from the continent of South America. Their slow and deliberate movements and cute cuddly ways make them irresistible for animal encounters at zoos throughout the country, including our own Oglebay Good Zoo.
But not all sloths over the ages have been so cute and cuddly... The slot is a cousin to the anteater and armadillo — and one sloth species was actually bigger then a bear. And guess what?
Here's the added bonus to this story: soon after the Revolutionary War, a colonel sent Vice President Thomas Jefferson some bones discovered in a cave in Greenbrier County. One of Colonel John Stuart's men had been caving and discovered the bones (not a full skeleton) during the expedition.
Jefferson, using his connections with the aristocracy, presented the bones and a paper at some fancy conference (if you're interested, it was the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia) and then the next thing you know... those bones and that sloth were being named after Thomas Jefferson himself!
The sloth is actually believed to have been discovered in Haynes Cave in Monroe County, and not in an entirely different cave in Greenbrier County; however, historians still argue about it. The scientific name for the giant West Virginia sloth is "Megalonyx jeffersonii." It's more casually referred to as "Jefferson's ground sloth" (even though he had nothing really to do with making the discovery).
Haynes cave is located in Monroe County and is accessible for caving, although it is not very easy to navigate and has some technical maneuvers a novice won't want to attempt.
See highlights of an experienced caving family's expedition into Haynes Cave in this short YouTube video from user MyFamilyDynamic1:
Even though Jefferson’s giant ground sloth probably was a bit creepy as opposed to cute and cuddly, we love that West Virginia is behind this discovery!
For more unusual and even shocking things you don’t often hear about in the Mountain State, keep reading here!
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