Interesting Facts About the Sloth

Aren’t sloths just the strangest little creatures? They are without question a complete one off in the animal kingdom, with their slow movement around the trees and lovely smiley faces, they are defiantly an animal I wish could be tamed. They even look a bit like Chewbacca from Star Wars, so I would hazard a guess that they are the closest living relative to a Wookie we have on planet Earth!

They live mostly in the jungles of Central and South America, and strangely related to both the armadillo and anteater families, which may go a long way to explaining their strange body shape. That’s not the only amazing fact about the sloth, here’s a few other interesting features of this unusual creature.

Sloth’s Very Rarely Sleep
Their name may make them sound like they are the laziest creatures on the planet, but a sloth very rarely sleeps! This is more of a defence mechanism than a need to be awake, as the sloth is always on guard from predators. They even grow algae on their fur for extra camouflage. If they keep as still as possible, from the air they just look like part of a tree or overhanging vegetation. This is sure to put off any would be attackers; after all, they want meat!

Not a Slow as you Think
They may seem like the slowest moving animals on the planet, but that’s their choice to move that way. In fact, if they are in danger or defending themselves, the can move along a tree vine as quickly as a cat!

Toilet Time
Sloths only come down from their suspended lives once a week,and this is to go to the toilet. They are very clean animals though, and like cats, they bury their business once it’s been deposited. This could well be to also hide their tracks from would be sloth assassins that are looking for a tasty snack.

Fatty Feet
Even though they spend a lot of their time eating, Sloths barely put on any weight. They have long and powerful arms and legs, but they stay pretty lithe for the majority of their lives. This is because they keep their fatty deposits in their feet!

Hang Ten
Sloths spend the whole of their lives hanging from trees, and sometimes after too! Strangely, when a sloth dies it somehow manages to retain it’s grip and will continue to hang from the tree for some time!

The sloth truly is one in a million wouldn’t you agree? There’s nothing like him in the animal kingdom, so here’s hoping that they live a long and fruitful existence and do not become endangered due to deforestation or climate change. I for one could watch a sloth clambering around all day, but then again, I do have sloth like tendencies myself!