A Wharton man may have uncovered proof of a giant ground sloth that once roamed the county. Johnny Valdez found a fossilized claw while walking the Colorado River near Wharton. He says the massive claw, several inches wide, belonged to a sloth species from the Ice Age. Valdez, a water plant manager at Pierce Ranch, has also found mammoth teeth, jaguar remains, and ancient turtle fossils. His discoveries, now on display at the Wharton museum, highlight a time when massive creatures lived right here in our backyard.