Paleontologists Excavate Pre-Historic Salvadoran Site

391085 02: Daniel Aguilar, lead paleontologist on the Tomayate River project, counts the vertebrae on the remains of a giant sloth, June 25, 2001 at a dig site in Apopa, El Salvador. The site was discovered in April 2001 by a handyman, and it has yielded the largest deposit of pre-historic bones in Central America. Twenty-two different species have been uncovered to date including mastadons, a sabre-toothed tiger and a giant armadillo. The results of Laser-Argon testing suggest the bones are 8.5 million years old, leaving paleontologists to conclude that the land bridge of Central America is up to 6 million years older than previously believed. (Photo by Daniel LeClair/Getty Images)