The Extinct

Начало книги

As soon as the rain had stopped and the sun began to shine they knew they were being watched.

The group of megatherium sat in the shade of trees near what would one day become the La Brea Tar Pits. Weighing more than five tons and larger than an Indian elephant, megatherium giant sloths were one of the largest animals that ever lived. They had been feeding all morning on rotting fruit and leaves, glancing behind them at the tall grass. Armed with eighteen inch claws, they were ready to fight at the first sign of an attack; though there were few predators courageous enough to attempt an assault.

Tucked low in the grass, feline eyes waited patiently for the sloths’ apprehensiveness to ease. Smilodon, a fearsome solitary carnivore, licked its foot-long canines. Commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, smilodon weighed as much as a small car and had the ferocity of a wolverine.

Saliva slopped from the saber-tooth’s mouth, its muscles ready to pounce at the first sign of sickness or old age among the megatherium. One lay down on its side, dozing off in the hot sun.

Читать дальше →