History with ‘Hud’: Uncovering a 1.5-million-year-old Giant Ground Sloth in Wilmington

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The earliest humans to inhabit the Cape Fear began doing so thousands of years ago. But the region had other mammals who called the area home long before that.

Residents were reminded of that in December of 1991, when a major discovery was made off Randall Parkway.

A man in search of a good place to skateboard, who happened to be a geology enthusiast, noticed dirt along a construction retention pond was prime for fossilized sand dollars or shark teeth. As he looked through the discarded material, he quickly realized the dirt held far more significant secrets.

His search uncovered larger and larger pieces of several 1.5-million-year old Giant Ground Sloths. The menacing 20-foot-tall animal called the region home until becoming extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington were brought to the site, confirming the findings and collecting a thigh bone, foot bones, three large claws, vertebrae, ribs and teeth. In all, 65 percent of the specimen’s bones were recovered.

Prior to this discovery, the furthest north a giant ground sloth skeleton had been found was South Carolina. The majority lived further south into Georgia and Florida.

A replica of the giant 20-foot skeleton of a Giant Ground Sloth now towers above onlookers at the Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington. The original bones are on display at the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Although it’s been thousands of years since Giant Ground Sloths roamed the Cape Fear, the discovery of their bones more than three decades ago shows history can be found in the most unlikely of places if you know where to look.

Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each evening on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.

To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.