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Sloth
Folivora
Least Concern
Location
Central and South America
Size
60-80 cm (24-31 inches)
Diet
Herbivore
Habitat
Tropical rainforest canopy
About This Animal
Sloths are slow-moving arboreal mammals that spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of tropical rainforests. Their incredibly slow metabolism means they can take up to a month to digest a single meal, and they descend to the ground only about once a week.
Amazing Facts
Move so slowly that algae grows on their fur, providing camouflage
Can take up to a month to digest a single leaf
Sleep for 15-20 hours a day
Only descend from trees about once a week to defecate
Have an extra neck vertebra letting them turn their heads 270 degrees