Koalas, for example, are marsupials that live in trees, eat leaves and have slow metabolisms. But sloths and koalas developed these traits independently of each other.
Sloths actually belong to the superorder Xenarthra and the order Pilosa, with a family tree that includes anteaters and armadillos. They live high in the trees of tropical rainforests, where they spend most of their time curled up or hanging upside down from branches.
Sloths will sleep, eat, mate and even give birth upside down! Sloths have leafy, low-calorie diets and very slow metabolisms to match. Because of this specialized metabolism, sloths need to be frugal with their energy use. So, they move slowly and tend not to wander far from their small home ranges.
Believe it or not, sloths are strong swimmers. Despite their clunky movement on the ground, sloths are nimble in the water where they use a sort of doggy paddle to move around. The smallest sloth, called the pygmy three-toed sloth, is found only on a small island off the coast of Panama where it is critically endangered. Some species, like the maned three-toed sloth are considered vulnerable. Sloths typically rely on their camouflage to protect themselves from predators.
However, when threatened, they can use their 3- to 4-inch-long claws and teeth to defend themselves. And despite their slow movements, sloths are surprisingly strong. You have to spend a lot of time out in [the] field to see one.
Look closely at a sloth and its fur will often also have a green shade to it. It might be tempting to assume that the animals have become so sedentary that they have become home to moss and algae from the trees around them.
But this misses something far more fascinating, says Mazzoni. What are these algae good for? Many scientists are trying to figure that out. The green algae and fungi could help sloths blend in to the background of the forest canopy. The fungal growths may also help keep down the number of parasites.
Sloths have fewer parasites than other mammals of a similar size. Baby sloths must constantly suckle because the mother only produces tiny amounts of milk at a time Credit: Getty Images. Among the other hallmarks of mammalian life that sloths have dispensed with is the amount of milk nursing mothers produce for their offspring.
Let's say you're driving around an unfamiliar city one day and you get lost. The odometer racks up more and more miles as you try to find a landmark to reorient yourself. Then, the gas light flickers on, and you start to panic because you have no idea where the nearest gas station is. What do you do to ensure that you don't become stranded?
You would have to maximize the return on every drop of fuel burned. For instance, if it's a summer day, you'd turn off the air conditioning and roll up the windows. You'd probably drive at a steady clip and try not to gun the engine.
Like pacing your car when it's low on gas, sloths move slowly to conserve energy as well. In fact, they move slower than any other mammal on Earth. The arboreal animals are known for taking their sweet time getting around, usually trekking no farther than feet 38 meters in a day [source: Cohn ].
On the rare occasions when they're on the ground, sloths crawl at a glacial pace of about 1 foot 30 centimeters per minute [source: Cohn ]. This sluggishness has earned sloths a negative reputation in the human world -- even one of the seven deadly sins shares their name.
Yet, a sloth's lethargic nature allows it to make the most of its surrounding resources. Native to the Americas, sloths spend most of their lives nestled between or hanging upside down from tree branches in tropical rain forests in Central and South America.
Cecropia trees were nicknamed "sloth trees" because people thought sloths preferred their leaves; however, extensive observation has shown that sloths feed on many tree species [source: Lowman et al]. When hunger strikes, sloths simply reach out to the nearest available branch, pull it close and tear the leaves off with their lips.
A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Jeremy Berke. There are four main types of three-toed sloths pictured below living everywhere from Mexico to coastal Brazil. They're some of the slowest mammals in the world.
Sloths are slow because of their diet.
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