Time to get your wild animal fix! I just saw this cute picture of a not-that-common creature so I acted very non-slothlike and dug up some fun facts about the Two-Toed Sloth that you can tell just from looking at the picture!
- Check out the claws. Sloths get their names based on the number of large claws on their front feet – either two or three – and both have three claws in the back! These claws help them grip and climb those branches upside down in a hand-over-hand motion.
- Check out how quickly it moves. Not. This is the world's slowest mammal – so inactive that algae grows on its furry coat giving it a greenish tint as camouflage in the tropical canopy layer.
- Check out the fur – unlike most mammals, sloths' fur curves from the stomach to the back allowing water to run off as they spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees in the rainforest.
- Check out those eyes. They look closed to me which is no surprise – these animals are active at night. They sleep in trees – and sleep a lot – usually 15 to 20 hours a day. When awake they are generally motionless (eating nearby twigs, fruits, and leaves), and even dead sloths can retain their grip and remain suspended in the air!
- Check out the zookeeper. This picture was snapped today during the annual stocktake at the London Zoo – Two-Toed sloths can survive in captivity but Three-Toed sloths cannot.
Curious to learn more about this animal, then .
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