Students find rare sloth fossil in Santa Cruz County

By Derrick Ow

Published March 21, 2024 2:19 PM

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Students in the Santa Cruz Mountains made an unusual discovery during a field trip.

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History announced that students from Tara Redwood School discovered a sloth fossil during a field trip last spring.

Museum officials said that the fossil is believed to be from a Jefferson Ground Sloth.

Museum staff members are working on determining the fossil's exact age but they believe is estimated to be 11,000 to 300,000 years old.

The fossil will be on exhibit starting on Saturday until May 26, 2024.

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