They’re incredibly slow on purpose. Sloths move slowly to conserve energy because their diet is low in calories.
There are two main types: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths—they’re quite different despite the similar names.
They spend most of their lives upside down. Special adaptations in their tendons let them hang effortlessly from branches.
Their metabolism is one of the slowest of any mammal. It can take a sloth up to a month to digest a single meal.
Sloths are surprisingly good swimmers. They can swim about three times faster than they move on land.
Algae grow in their fur. This gives them a greenish tint and helps camouflage them in the rainforest canopy.
They usually poop only once a week. This risky trip down the tree accounts for a large portion of sloth deaths.
Their necks are unusual. Three-toed sloths have up to 9 neck vertebrae, while most mammals (including humans) have 7.
They have a very low body temperature. It fluctuates with the environment, unlike most mammals that tightly regulate it.
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Sloths Facts
Updated over 2 months ago