Sloth
Suborder Folivora · Mammal, xenarthran
From the Capy Learning Corner encyclopedia
- Native range
- Tropical forests of Central and South America.
- Size
- Roughly 8 to 17 pounds depending on species.
- Lifespan
- Commonly into their 20s and beyond in professional care.
- Conservation
- Varies: some species are of Least Concern, while the pygmy three toed sloth is Critically Endangered.
Little Learners Corner
Sloths move slowly on purpose, because leaves do not give much energy, so they save every bit of it.
Say it like a scientist: fo-LIV-or-uh
Where They Live
Sloths live upside down in the canopy, descending roughly once a week, and swim surprisingly well when rivers interrupt the trees.
What They Eat
Mostly leaves, digested over days in a huge multi chambered stomach. Slowness is the strategy: a low energy diet demands a low energy life.
How They Live
Solitary and quiet. A sloth's stillness is camouflage so effective that algae grows in its fur, tinting it green and feeding a tiny ecosystem of moths and beetles found nowhere else.
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Sloths as Pets?
Sloth selfies and sloth encounters have made them a trafficked species, and a stressed sloth shows almost nothing on its face, which is exactly the problem. They are built for canopies, not cuddles.
Fun Facts
Sloths move so little that algae farms itself in their fur.
They cannot shiver well, so cold snaps genuinely endanger them.
Three toed sloths can rotate their heads most of the way around, owl style, thanks to extra neck vertebrae.
Capy Quiz: Prove It
Why are sloths slow?
Keep exploring: Chinchilla came before this, Hedgehog is next, or head back to the full Animal Encyclopedia.
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