Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_5844,size=200,left]The Megatherium Club, named after a giant extinct sloth that once roamed South America, consisted of an eccentric group of young naturalists aiming to build the Smithsonian’s collection. The club was formed in 1857 under zoologist William Stimpson, who held the club’s first meeting in his cottage before the members were asked to set
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_9654,size=225,left]Spencer Fullerton Baird was a visionary and can be rightfully credited as a co-creator of the Megatherium Club. Through his position as Assistant Secretary at the Smithsonian, and then Secretary in 1878, Baird corresponded with many of the great naturalists and explorers of his time, in hopes that they would help build the