Sloths

Sloths communicate through high-pitched squeaking sounds that can travel through the rainforest!

Some sloths live their entire lives in a territory smaller than a football field!

Sloths can survive in temperatures ranging from about 25°F to 95°F (-4°C to 35°C), thanks to their thick fur!

During rainy seasons, sloths will shake their bodies to remove excess water, just like a dog does!

Sloths often share their trees with other animals like birds, ants, and even other sloths!

A sloth’s main predators are jaguars, harpy eagles, and snakes!

Sloths can live at heights of up to 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level in cloud forests!

Three-toed sloths almost never leave their home tree unless they absolutely have to!

Sloths can survive falls from over 40 feet (12 meters) high thanks to their sturdy bones and flexible body!

Sloths can survive falls from over 40 feet (12 meters) high thanks to their sturdy bones and flexible body!

The algae growing in sloth fur helps them match the color of tree bark and leaves, making them nearly invisible to predators like harpy eagles!

Sloths spend 90% of their lives in the canopy of rainforests, rarely coming down to the forest floor!

When swimming, sloths can move three times faster than they do on land!

Sloths can turn their heads nearly all the way around to look for predators while hanging upside down!

A sloth’s slow movement isn’t because they’re lazy — it’s an energy-saving adaptation that helps them survive on their low-calorie diet!

Baby sloths learn what foods to eat by licking the remnants from their mother’s mouth!

Sloths sleep about 15–20 hours every day, but they don’t sleep all at once like humans do!

Three-toed sloths are generally (crepuscular), being most active during dawn and dusk, while two-toed sloths are primarily (nocturnal), being more active at night!

When sloths are excited or feel threatened, they can move at speeds up to 0.17 miles per hour (0.27 kilometers per hour)!

Sloths only come down from their trees once a week to poop, and they always go to the same spot!

Sloths are excellent swimmers and can hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes!

Sloths don’t have external ears like most mammals, but they still have excellent hearing thanks to their internal ear structure!

A sloth’s heart rate can drop to just 20 beats per minute when they’re resting — that’s about four times slower than a human’s resting heart rate!

Sloths have only 18 teeth that continue growing throughout their entire life!

A sloth’s claws can grow up to 4 inches (10 cm) long — that’s as long as a standard pencil!

Sloths have very long arms — about 20-25% longer than their legs!

A sloth’s grip is so strong that they continue holding onto tree branches even after they die!

Three-toed sloths have 8–9 vertebrae in their necks, which gives them their amazing flexibility!

A sloth’s internal organs are attached to their ribcage differently from other mammals, allowing them to breathe easily while hanging upside down!

Sloth fur is home to tiny algae that gives them a greenish tint, helping them blend in with the trees!

A sloth’s fur grows in the opposite direction from most mammals — from belly to back — which helps water slide off while they’re hanging upside down!

Sloths belong to the order Pilosa, which means “hairy” in Latin, and they share this group with their cousins, the anteaters!

Three-toed sloths are slightly smaller than two-toed sloths, usually weighing between 8–10 pounds (3.6-4.5 kg)!

The ancient ground sloths that lived millions of years ago were as big as elephants, weighing up to 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg)!

Sloths are found in the rainforests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico all the way down to Brazil!

A baby sloth is called an infant, while female and male sloths are generally referred to as female and male sloths.

The Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth can live up to 40 years in captivity, but usually lives 20–25 years in the wild!

Adult sloths typically weigh between 8 and 17 pounds (3.6-7.7 kg), about the same as a house cat!

Three-toed sloths can rotate their heads 270 degrees, almost like an owl, helping them look for food and danger without moving their whole body!

A group of sloths is called a “snuggle” — though they usually prefer to live alone in the wild!

There are six different species of sloths alive today, divided into two families: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths!

Baby sloths stay with their mothers for 6–12 months, learning everything they need to know about surviving in the rainforest!

A baby sloth is born weighing only about 0.5 pounds (230 grams) — that’s lighter than a can of soup!

Female sloths usually give birth to just one baby at a time, and they only have a baby every 1–2 years!

A baby sloth starts eating solid foods like leaves when it’s about 2 weeks old, but still drinks milk for many months!

Sloths reach adult size at around 2–3 years old, but they may continue to grow until they are about 4–5 years old!

Baby sloths learn to climb when they’re just a few weeks old!

Mother sloths make a special squeaking sound that only their babies can recognize!

A baby sloth’s fur is softer and shorter than an adult’s, but starts to change after about 6 months!

Three-toed sloths can start swimming naturally as soon as they leave their mother!