When people think of this animal, the first thing they think of is probably lazy, slow, always sleeping and maybe even super super cute (which is what I think; many people probably think they look weird…)
All the while, they don’t think of Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. But they should because he is quite the adventurous and utterly adorable sloth (even though he doesn’t look that similar to a real one)
And while sloths are perhaps all of those thing, they spend a majority of their days moving through the canopy of the tropical rain forests they inhabit at a brisk rate of 40 yards per day… which isn’t that far, but for sloths it’s quite the accomplishment.
But their slow speed is partly due to the fact that they have an exceptionally low metabolic rate and spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. So of the time they are awake, they are moving a bunch of the time. Further even, sloths are surprisingly good swimmers. With their long arms, they can drop from their treetop perches into water for a paddle.
There are two different types of sloths, two-toes and three-toes, and six species…
They are the
- Pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)
- Maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus)
- Pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus)
- Brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
- Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus)
- Hoffman’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)
Of these types of sloths, the pygmy sloth is critically endangered and the maned sloth is vulnerable to endangerment.
But why are sloths important you ask? Other than the fact that they are undoubtedly the most adorable creature ever?
Well… believe it or not, sloths are an important part of the tropical rain forest ecosystems.
So what is putting the sloth at risk of endangerment?
Well the health of the sloth population is actually dependent on the health of tropical rain forests, but tropical rain forests within themselves are at risk of deforestation. Without an abundance of trees, sloths will lose their shelter and food source. When sloths come to the forest floor, which they do once a week to relieve themselves, are more exposed to predators and can do little to fend them off.
To see how you can help #savethesloths, visit https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sloth and you can adopt a 3-toed sloth!
sat5391 says
Sid is my man. Love that dude because he was like a childhood friend. Although I know about the cartoon one I didn’t know there were so many kinds of sloth in this world. They are awesome by my standards.I bet 110% of all college students wish they could sleep for 15-20 hours a day… like bonus. Its sad that deforestation is a real thing let alone threatening these little balls of awesome. Sloths need the trees, we need the trees, we all need the trees. So if we aren’t going to do it for ourselves for some reason.. Let’s save the trees for the sloths!
Andrew says
I have often been compared to a sloth as we share the qualities of being really adorable and a little slow. Thanks for reminding people of their ecological importance and endangered status. Always a fun read!
Hannah Holland says
This makes me happy. I love sloths, and I think they are adorable and I always crack up at the “creepy sloth meme”. But this post is interesting, I never realized how many different species of sloths there are, and how much they are in danger.
Cait Hickey says
I love animals. It’s such a shame that sloths are endangered and I’m glad you’re creating awareness about this issue. We really need to fix our ways and lessen our impact on the planet. Save the sloths! Completely off topic but, Kristen Bell’s encounter with a sloth and sloth meltdown on Ellen is definitely worth watching.
Meredith says
I never actually thought sloths were that cute but your pics might just change that! I always used to this they were kind of weird… Especially the ones with the green color in their fur. I mean they look like they could use a bath. But anyway, they are definitely worth saving!
Zoe Hu says
Aww sloths are adorable! If you have a snapchat, there is actually a sloth filter you can use on your face that is promoting the new Zootopia movie (a little creepier than real sloths, but still fun). I love sloths, and I hope people will take care of the rain forests more. Not only are they cute, but sloths are big contributors to the livelihood of the ecosystem. Great post!
Sierra Bugni says
Sloths are adorable, I never get enough of the baby bath-time videos all over Facebook. They’re super adorable, but lose the cuteness a little when they grow up. I had no idea that they were endangered because of the rain forest deforestation. We need to get our s**t together and fix this planet so we can save the sloths
Bridget Garrity says
I think sloths are really cute too…but have you ever seen a wet sloth?? They are CREEPY looking. I did not know that sloths are an important part of tropical rain forests, so this is very interesting. Lets save the sloths!!!!!!!!!!!!