| Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument | |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 Mylodon's Cave |
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| Location | Magallanes Region, Chile |
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| Coordinates | 51°36′0″S 72°36′0″W / 51.6°S 72.6°WCoordinates: 51°36′0″S 72°36′0″W / 51.6°S 72.6°W |
| Governing body | Corporación Nacional Forestal |
Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument is a Natural Monument located in the Chilean Patagonia,[1] 24 kilometres northwest of Puerto Natales and 270 kilometres north of Punta Arenas. The monument is situated along the flanks of the Cerro Benitez Mountains.[2] It comprises several caves and a rock formation called Silla del Diablo (Devil's Chair).
The monument is notable for the discovery in 1896 of skin, bones and other parts of a giant ground sloth called Mylodon (Mylodon darwini). The remains of a Mylodon that had walked throughout the Patagonia is still visible today.
At the entrance of the monument is a life size replica of a prehistoric Milódon. The Milódon were very large herbivores and somewhat resembled a large bear. The Milódon became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.
The investigations made possible to determine a survival of the Milodon of about 5,000 years back and confirm the existence of other animals, like the "Dwarfed Horse", the "Saber Tiger" and the Great Guanaco denominated "Macraucheria"[3]
See also
References
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