this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2025
182 points (86.4% liked)

science

23247 readers
543 users here now

A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.

rule #1: be kind

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

...Many of the passages are longer than 600 yards (550 meters) and tall enough for an adult to walk through without bending.

The leading idea is that giant, extinct ground sloths dug these colossal shelters, turning parts of South America into a maze of underground homes...

...the tunnel walls are packed with claw marks, sometimes in three parallel grooves, right where a digging limb would bite into rock...

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 162 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Clickbait title acting like it's a mystery...

It's obviously the giant sloths, because we can see the claw marks from giant sloths making them.

We've known for like a decade now.

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 88 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Yeah.... But we have no evidence that proves they were terrestrial sloths. They were obviously creating these complex tunnels deep underground to hide something. Something like a space craft or teleportation gate to the sloth dimension.

You're just afraid to dig up the truth. #slothgate

[–] ski11erboi@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I recently read that these specific sloths evolved into transgender hermaphrodites which ultimately led to their extinction. They've actually traced their rise and fall to the implementation of space lazers causing massive flooding around the world. Funny how history repeats itself.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not every conspiracy has to end with gate.

#TheSlothIsOutThere

[–] monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Goddammit!

✌️ I'm not a gate. ✌️

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I'm not a gate.

I can tell by your gait.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Also they made the frogs gay

[–] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

oh, you're not even sarcastic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatherium

and here some people complain about moles

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, going off memory but they're why avocados evolved too.

They were big enough to eat them whole and poop out the seeds, so they're the reason we have guacamole.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago

Mom! The giant sloths have dug up the neighborhood again!

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Elephants are also known to dig caves in search of salt