| Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument | |
|---|---|
.jpg) .jpg) Mylodon's Cave | |
 | |
| Location | Magallanes Region,Chile |
| Governing body | Corporación Nacional Forestal |
.jpg)
Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument is aNatural Monument located in theChileanPatagonia,[1] 24 km (15 mi) northwest ofPuerto Natales and 270 km (168 mi) north ofPunta Arenas.
The monument is situated along the flanks ofCerro Benitez.[2] It comprises severalcaves and a rock formation calledSilla 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 aground sloth calledMylodon darwini, from which the cave takes its name. It is also part of theEnd of the World Route, a scenic touristic route.
The largest cave in the monument is the 200 metres (660 ft) long Milodón Cave. It was discovered in 1895 byHermann Eberhard, German explorer of Patagonia. He found a large, seemingly fresh piece of skin of an unidentified animal. In 1896 the cave was explored byOtto Nordenskjöld and later it was recognized that the skin belonged toMylodon – 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 prehistoricMylodon, which was a very large herbivore, somewhat resembling a large bear. It became extinct at the end of thePleistocene Epoch.
The cave is named after the largeground slothMylodon which has been found at the site. Other animals found at the site include the equineHippidion, thesaber-toothed catSmilodon and the large camel-like ungulateMacrauchenia.[3]
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 6000BC.[5]
