Sloths are a species of mammals known by the scientific name “Folivora” that live on trees in the tropical forests of South and Central America. They are famous worldwide for their slow movement and calm lifestyle. The name “sloth” perfectly describes their slow and lazy nature. They spend most of the day hanging from trees and sleeping. Because of their unique features, they are considered a unique creation of nature. In this article, we will look at the different types of sloths, their habitats, diet, behavior, and much more, including the reasons why they are so slow.
Type of Sloths
Sloths can be divided into two main types. As two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. The main difference between the two breeds is the number of claws on their front feet. Two-toed sloths have two claws on their front feet, while three-toed sloths have three. Three-toed sloths are slightly smaller than two-toed sloths and have a black patch on their face. Two-legged sloths have long necks and can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees. Both species are herbivores and eat leaves, twigs, and fruits of trees.
Habitat
Sloths live mainly in the tropical forests of Central and South America. They like to spend time on the upper branches of trees, which gives them protection from predators. The warm and humid climate of tropical forests provides an ideal environment for them. Algae growing on their fur helps them stay hidden in forest environments. Their habitats are limited to the upper layers of forests, which provide them with food and protection.
Distribution
Sloths are mainly found in Central and South America such as Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru.
Behavior & Social Organization
Sloths are solitary animals that rarely interact with each other except during the breeding season. But females sometimes interact more than males. They usually come down from the trees only for defecating once every eight days. What causes this is a matter of debate among scientists. Five different opinions have been presented in this regard:
1. Fertilize the tree by defecating at the root of the tree.
2. Closing the stool to protect it from predators.
3. Communication with other slugs by chemical signals.
4. Replenishment of nutrients accumulated in nails.
5. Maintaining a symbiotic relationship with a species of moth that lives in wool.
According to a recent new theory, sloths have been in the habit of defecating on the ground since ancient times, and it’s hardwired into their genes. Because there is very little danger from predators when defecating, they have not undergone natural selection to change that habit. That is, since defecating on the floor does not harm them, there has been no evolutionary effect to abandon the habit.
Diet
When considering the diet, all sloths eat leaves. But the two-toed sloths are omnivores like insects, small lizards, and fruits and others are almost entirely herbivorous. They can eat about one-third of their weight. Because their metabolic processes are very slow, it takes around a month for these foods to be fully digested. Therefore, they urinate and defecate only once a week.
Reproduction and Lifespan
Sloth’s reproductive process is very slow. Because of the slow movement, it takes more than a year for the female to find the male and this time can be longer. However, a female usually gives birth to one litter per year.
Three-toed sloths are pregnant for six months and give birth to only one calf, while two-toed sloths are pregnant for 12 months and give birth to one calf. Newborn cubs cling to the mother’s body for about five months, and then learn to live independently. In the meantime, sometimes the cubs may fall from the tree and die because the mothers are too lazy to come down from the tree to get the cubs. How long sloths live in the wild has not been well studied. But they are estimated to live an average of 20-30 years.
Physical Features and Abilities
Sloths are usually 60 to 80 cm long, and their weight varies from 3.6 to 7.7 kg depending on the species. They have small ears, long limbs, round heads as well as a 5 to 6 cm long tail.
Although sloths can see color, their eyesight is poor. They also have poor hearing and find food by smell and touch. Also, they are heterogeneous animals. That means they can change their body temperature according to the temperature of the environment.
One of their most distinctive features is the way their fur grows. That is, the fur on the arms of other mammals grows from the shoulder to the palm, but because they spend most of their time hanging upside down in trees, their fur grows from the palm to the shoulder. Algae grow on these furs, making it easier for them to hide from predators. Because of this algae, the fur acts like a small ecosystem and on it live about 950 different species of insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and mites.
Their arms are longer than their legs, making it easier for them to hang on to branches. Also, their hands and feet have long, curved claws that enable them to grip branches effortlessly. Also, due to their special body structure, they have been able to remain unharmed even if they fall from a height of 100 feet. Usually, every sloth falls out of a tree once a week or so.
Sloths usually move at a speed of 4 meters per minute and if they feel danger, they can move at a slightly higher speed of 4.5 meters per minute. While on the ground, their maximum speed is only 3 meters per minute. They are amazing swimmers and can swim at a speed of 13.5 meters per minute and hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes.
Most of their lives are spent hanging from branches, eating, and sleeping. They are so attached to the trees that they give birth while hanging from the trees. Sometimes they can be seen hanging on trees even after death.
why are sloths slow
- 1. Low-calorie foods
The sloth’s main food is leaves. Since leaves are very low in nutrients, they are also low in calories. Because of this, the process of producing the energy needed by the body (metabolic process) is very slow. Due to less energy production, their performance is naturally limited and slow.
2. Constant body temperature
Mammals generally maintain a constant body temperature. This provides an ability to successfully cope with external environmental temperature variations. This is why mammals are spread over a large geographical area. So maintaining this constant body temperature is a process that consumes a lot of energy. For that, mammals have to eat a large amount of food relative to their body.
But because the tropical forests where sloths live are warm and humid environments, they don’t need to change their body temperature very often. Because of that, the muscles and circulatory system, do not have to spend as much energy to keep them warm. It makes their performance slow down.
Thus, sloths do not have a great need for internal thermoregulation. Therefore, They are used to spending life engaging more time in the same position without struggling and jumping up and down.
3. Long sleep
Sloths in zoos are reported to sleep for up to 16 hours. However, research has found that, In the wild, they sleep for about 10 hours.
4. Fewer enemies
As long as sloths live in trees, the number of predators they have to face is relatively low. Also, their mossy fur makes it easy to hide among trees. Because of this, they don’t need to react quickly or run away. Less threat from enemies has enabled them to live slowly and calmly.
5. Living in an environment that is rich in food
In the tropical forests where sloths live, food is plentiful, so they don’t have to work hard to find food. They don’t have to travel far in search of food because leaves are almost always available from the trees. Abundance of food and minimal expenditure of energy is another reason for their slow lifestyle.
Conclusion
Sloths live on Earth as another of nature’s rarest creations, but now their future has begun to end. It is due to the destruction of habitats due to rapid urbanization and becoming a victim of human activities. Among them, many of them die every year due to wildfires, hunting, and electric shocks. So our duty should be to protect these animals as much as possible and allow future generations to see them