Fossil skeleton of a Great Beast, Megatherium,

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Fossil skeleton of a Great Beast, Megatherium, an extinct elephant-sized ground sloth of the Pliocene to Pleistocene. Copperplate stipple engraving from Frederic Cuvier's "Dictionary of Natural Science: Mammals," Paris, France, 1816. Illustration by J. G. Pretre, engraved by Massard, directed by Pierre Jean-Francois Turpin, and published by Levrault. Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780~1845) was painter of natural history at Empress Josephine's zoo and later became artist to the Museum of Natural History. Turpin (1775-1840) is considered one of the greatest French botanical illustrators of the 19th century.

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Size: 6604px × 4200px
Photo credit: © Florilegius / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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