sloths are found in the tropical rainforests of south america
and central america mostly hanging upside down in the trees
sloths have a very low metabolism and they move very slowly and deliberately
their name literally means laziness
the slowness of their movement helps them avoid detection by predators such as cats and hawks
sloths are almost helpless on the ground so if they can help it they stick to the trees the
sloth's shaggy coat has grooved hair that is host to symbiotic green algae which camouflages the
animal in the trees and provides it nutrients sloths can be 60 to 80 centimeters long
and depending on the species weigh from 3.6 to 7.7 kilograms two-toed sloths are slightly larger
sloths have long limbs and rounded heads with tiny ears three-toed sloths also have stubby
tails about five to six centimeters long sloths have color vision although it is rather poor
they also have poor hearing and rely on their sense of smell and touch to find food
sloths have very low metabolic rates and low body temperatures when active and still lower
when resting sloths are heterothermic meaning their body temperature may vary according to the
environment their temperature is usually between 25 to 35 degrees celsius but is able to drop to
as low as 20 degrees celsius because sloths spend so much time with their limbs above their bodies
their hairs grow away from the extremities to provide protection from the elements the sloths
fur hosts symbiotic algae which provide camouflage from predatory jaguars ocelots and harpy eagles
because of the algae sloth fur is a small ecosystem of its own hosting many species
of commensal and parasitic arthropods sloth's limbs are adapted for hanging and grasping not
for supporting their weight their muscles make up only 25 to 30 percent of their total body weight
their specialized hands and feet have long curved claws to allow them to hang upside down
from branches without effort and are used to drag themselves along the ground sloths move only when
necessary and even then very slowly they usually move at an average speed of 4 meters per minute
but can move at a marginally higher speed of 4.5 meters per minute if they are in immediate danger
while they sometimes sit on top of branches they usually eat sleep and even give birth hanging from
branches sloths are omnivorous with a diverse diet of insects carrion fruits leaves and small lizards
three-toed sloths on the other hand are almost entirely herbivorous plant-eaters with a limited
diet of leaves from only a few trees and no other mammal digests its food as slowly
leaves being their main food source provide very little energy or nutrients
the leaves don't digest easily so sloths have large slow acting
multi-chambered stomachs in which symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves
as much as two-thirds of a well-fed sloth's body weight consists of the contents of its stomach
and the digestive process can take a month or more to complete three-toed sloths go to
the ground to urinate and defecate about once a week digging a hole and covering it afterwards
they go to the same spot each time and are vulnerable to predators while doing so
the pale and brown-throated three-toed sloths made seasonally while the main three-toed sloth
breeds at any time of the year litters consist of one newborn only the gestation
period is six months for the three-toed sloth gestation for the two-toed sloth is 12 months
sloths are surprisingly strong swimmers and can reach speeds of 13.5 meters per minute
they use their long arms to paddle through the water to cross rivers and swim between islands
sloths can hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes
three-toed sloths are mostly nocturnal but can be active in the day
they spend 90 of their time motionless two-toed sloths are only nocturnal sloths are solitary
animals that rarely interact with one another except during breeding season
all sloths eat the leaves of the scropia newborns stay with their mother for about five months
females normally bear one baby every year but sometimes sloth's low level of movement
actually keeps females from finding males for longer than one year
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