SLOTHS

By Lauren Lew

Sloths, baby sloths, adult sloths all sloths! They are adorable. Sloths are, if you didn’t know, the slowest animal in the world! These amazing creature go as fast as 0.15 mph on the ground although they are faster when they are on a tree. In this article you will learn about what sloths look like when they are newly born and some crazy facts you might not even know could be true.

SLOTH FACTS​​​

• There are 2 different types of sloths, a two-toed sloth  and a three-toed sloth.
• Sloths now are about the size of a dog but in ancient times, they are known to be as big as an Asian elephant!
• A sloth has a very absorbent fur so algae grows right onto them which provides convenient camouflage.
• A sloth spends around 90% of their entire life upside down.
• Sloths eat many different things although some of the things they eat include buds, leaves, tender shoots, and on an occasion a bird. An average sloth takes about 30 days to digest 1 leaf.
• Sloths have an extra vertebrae on their neck and so they can turn their head on a 270 degree, almost a 360 degree turn.
• When sloths are swimming, they swim about 3 times faster and can hold their breath for 40 minute straight!
• Due to their pace, for 1 day, they travel about 38 meters (125 ft).
• On the ground, they only crawl 1 foot per minute.
• Since the sloths have a facial structure that makes them look like they are always smiling even if they’re unhappy.

Source:
https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/news/10-facts-about-sloths-natures-slowest-animals