Sloths live in rainforests, where habitat destruction is a serious threat. Supporting the responsible use of resources like choosing Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee can help protect them from habitat loss.
Their unique diet, lifestyle and health needs require specialized care. Skip to main content. Entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. All visitors ages 2 and older are required to wear a mask in all indoor spaces at the Zoo, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas. And Other Sloth Facts. Share this page:. Why are Sloths So Slow? And Other Sloth Facts Oct. What is a sloth? So, are sloths marsupials or primates?
Where do sloths live? Why are sloths so slow? However, the reverse is true for the the three-toed, pale-throated sloth. Two-toed sloths are omnivorous , meaning they can consume plants and animals. Their diet includes fruits, leaves, insects and small lizards. Three-toed sloths, on the other hand, are almost entirely herbivorous plant eaters. Their diet consists primarily of leafs and buds from select species of tree, including the leafy cecropia tree.
But like many herbivorous mammals , sloths have a multichambered stomachs filled with symbiotic bacteria that can break down cellulose. Sloths digest food even more slowly than they eat it. In fact, it can take up to a month for a sloth to digest a single meal, according to the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida. Their leafy diet isn't very nutritious, so they don't get much energy from it, which could be the reason for their sluggish lifestyle. Despite sloths being relatively defenseless creatures, their populations aren't struggling as a whole.
Nonetheless, humans pose a threat to the continued survival of sloths through deforestation and poaching. However, the maned three-toed sloth Bradypus torquatus , native to Brazil's rapidly shrinking Atlantic Forest, is classified as vulnerable to extinction and the pygmy three-toed sloth, found only on Panama's Escudo Island, is classified as critically endangered.
Sloths are considered the world's slowest animal. They creep at such a slow pace that algae grows on their fur. This green algae, known as Trichophilus , grows only on the fur of sloths.
They became extinct around 10, years ago. Sloths possess a symbiotic relationship with the algae that grows on their fur. While the sloth provides the algae with shelter and water as sloth fur is highly absorbent , the algae provide the sloth with camouflage as well as extra nutrients through their skin. This means that, unlike us, a sloth can hang upside down with no effect on its breathing.
They have a multi-compartment stomach that allows them to effectively digest the tough cellulose that they eat. This proves to be a slow process, taking 30 days to digest one leaf! This unique feature makes sloths stand out from other mammals whose bone structures do not allow this flexibility. Although sloths have long claws that make walking on land difficult, they can move up to three times faster when they swim — surprising for such a typically slow-moving character!
They can also hold their breath for an impressive 40 minutes, suppressing their metabolism to make their heart rate a third of its normal speed. Sloths even sleep in trees, and they sleep a lot—some 15 to 20 hours every day. Even when awake they often remain motionless. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from juicy plants. Sloths mate and give birth while hanging in the trees.
Three-toed sloth babies are often seen clinging to their mothers—they travel by hanging on to them for the first nine months of their lives.
On land, sloths' weak hind legs provide no power and their long claws are a hindrance. They must dig into the earth with their front claws and use their strong front legs to pull themselves along, dragging their bellies across the ground. If caught on land, these animals have no chance to evade predators, such as big cats, and must try to defend themselves by clawing and biting.
Though they couldn't be clumsier on land, sloths are surprisingly good swimmers. They sometimes fall directly from rain forest trees into rivers and stroke efficiently with their long arms. Three-toed sloths also have an advantage that few other mammals possess: They have extra neck vertebrae that allows them to turn their heads some degrees.
All rights reserved. Common Name: Three-Toed Sloths.
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