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Prehistoric Life

How tall was Megatherium americanum?

An adult Megatherium americanum stood about 3.5 m (11 ft) tall.

What is measured: adult standing height

Megatherium americanum (3.5 m) drawn to scale beside a doorway (2 m) and a 20-foot shipping container (6.06 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Doorway (2 m), Megatherium americanum (3.5 m) and Shipping container (20 ft) (6.06 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 1.8× as tall as a doorway
  • About 2.1× as tall as an adult person
  • About 58% of the length of a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 9.2× as tall as a bowling pin
  • About 29% of the length of a city bus

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Facts about Megatherium americanum

Megatherium could rear up on its hind legs and use its powerful tail and limbs to support its huge body while feeding.

Source: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Giant ground sloth; Encyclopaedia Britannica — Megatherium

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Megatherium americanum
Hieraaetus moorei3 m (9 ft 10 in)0.86×
Glyptodon clavipes3.3 m (11 ft)0.94×
Arctodus simus3.4 m (11 ft)0.97×
Megatherium americanum3.5 m (11 ft)this page
Edaphosaurus pogonias3.5 m (11 ft)same size
Ornithomimus edmontonicus3.5 m (11 ft)same size
Dinornis robustus3.6 m (12 ft)1×
Palaeoloxodon antiquus4 m (13 ft)1.1×
Deinotherium giganteum4 m (13 ft)1.1×
Mammuthus columbi4 m (13 ft)1.1×

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