Facts about Sloths

Sloths are close relatives to armadillos, and anteaters. Sloth are among the slowest moving mammals. Sloths are often thought of as lazy, they are not lazy they simply move very slowly. Sloths are solitary creatures and spend much of their lives alone.

Sloths have round flattened face with small ears and a relatively small head. Sloth will often look somewhat green, this is due to a green algae that frequently grows on their fur coats. The algae is common in hot, wet, conditions in the area sloths live. The green hue helps hide the sloth in the tree top canopy. Sloths have excellent neck rotation similar to an owl. Sloth usually only come down from the tree when food runs out and they need to move to another tree, or to defecate. On the ground sloths are easy prey for their predators.

Sloths spend much of their lives upside-down. Sloths eat leaves and hang upside down from branches with their long sharp hooked claws. They sleep and even give birth hanging on tree branches upside down. There are two families of sloths, two toed sloths and three-toed sloths. Both sloth families have three toes on their hind legs, and depending on their classification they have either two or three on their front legs.

Sloths are herbivores eating leaves, twigs, buds and fruit. Sloths find leaves using smell and touch.

Mother sloths carry their young with them for the first six months.

About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net