Seven Spectacular Fact about Sloths!

Sloths are renowned for being slow, the scientific word for sloth is Bradypus Greek for "slow feet". There is certainly truth in this as they are slower than any other mammal on the planet, climbing only 1.8 to 2.4 metres per minute.

However, there is much more to sloths than this, as these 7 spectacular sloth facts suggest:

1) Thank giant sloths for your avocados! 

The modern sloth found today throughout Central and South America is usually 58 – 68cm in size, but their ancestors the Megatherium could be as large as an Asian elephant!

But you won't be finding one of these giants today, as they became extinct around 10,000 years ago. 

The wide availability of avocados today is thanks to the giant ground sloth. They were able to eat an avocado whole and excrete the entire avocado stone, dispersing them in new places as they travelled across the region! 

2) Upside down is the best way round for a sloth

An average sloth spends 90% of its life hanging upside down, achievable as they can breathe normally in this position. This is because sloths’ organs are attached to their rib cage and therefore don’t press down on their lungs. 

Their long claws (8-10cm) make them great tree climbers but inhibit the speed they can walk on land. The main reason they leave the trees is to defecate, which they only do once a week and lose a 1/3 of their body weight in the process!

3) Three-toed sloths have a 360° perspective

Three-toed sloths have extra vertebrae at the bottom of their neck, they can therefore turn their head a whole 270°, equipping them with an almost 360° view of their surroundings.

4) Sloths are speedy swimmers

Sloths can move up to 3 times faster swimming than on land and hold their breath for an impressive 40 minutes. In comparison, humans can only do this for an average of 2 minutes and dolphins for 10 minutes!

5) Sloths aren't as lazy as you think

It's a myth that sloths spend their whole day sleeping, in fact research has found that only sloths in captivity sleep excessively (up to 15- 20 hours a day), whilst wild sloths sleep around 8-9 hours a day.

6) It's all about the fingers not the toes 

The distinguishable difference between two-toed and three-toed sloths is not the number of toes (they all have three toes) but the number of fingers. A two-toed sloth only has two fingers on each hand!

7) Sloths are slow at digesting food

One thing all 6 species of sloth have in common is their slow digestive system, sloths have a four-chambered stomach meaning it takes 30 days for their digestive system to process a leaf! As a result, up to 2/3rds of their body weight can be the leaves in their digestive system. 

Sloths are really incredible animals, however their habitats are increasingly threatened and a number are captured to be used a tourist photo prop or as a pet every year. 

If you’re passionate to protect sloths, you may be interested in joining our Wildlife Rescue project in Costa Rica who are looking for volunteers to help them in their conservation efforts.