SOME SOUTH AMERICAN RULERS 139 



An interesting explanation is given by these 

 scientists regarding -the reason for the Mylodon 

 living so long after the other gigantic animals of 

 South America became extinct. This explanation 

 tells us that all the southern part of South America 

 was rather suddenly covered with water during the 

 time of the sloths. The only animals in that part 

 of the world which survived this flood were those 

 that sought safety on some high section of land, 

 and among them were a few Mylodons. The ani- 

 mals lived on the islands thus formed until the land 

 under the water was reelevated. And the cavern 

 in which Mylodon bones have been found with the 

 bones of human beings is supposed to have been on 

 one of these islands of refuge. All this is only 

 theory, but it seems a reasonable explanation re- 

 garding why some of the Mylodons lived so long 

 after all the other gigantic sloths had entirely 

 disappeared. 



Even those strange creatures, the Glyptodons, 

 became extinct while the Mylodons were still 

 flourishing in many parts of South America. These 

 animals belonged to the armadillo family and, like 



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