Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals related to armadillos and anteaters, found in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. There are two species of sloths:two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short flat heads. Their hair is grayish brown but, at times they look grey-green in color because they move so slowly that tiny camouflaging algae grow all over their coats.
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| Three toed sloth and its baby |
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| Baby sloth |
Some sloths stay in the same tree for years. Their specialized hands and feet have long, curved claws to allow them to hang upside-down from branches without effort. Since they have a slow metabolism, they need very little food. They feed on fruit, leaves, buds, and young twigs. Sloths also sleep upside-down for up to 18 hours at a time. While they sometimes sit on top of branches, they usually eat, sleep, and even give birth hanging from limbs. Females normally bear one baby every year, but sometimes sloths' low level of movement actually keeps females from finding males for longer than one year. Babies cling to their mothers until they are able to take care of themselves.
Watch the video bellow to meet the funny residents of the Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Orphanage in Costa Rica.
