neither monkey nor bear

Sloths are the slowest animals in the world. There are six species of sloth divided into two families: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. They live in tropical forests and spend all day in the trees, where they find their food, which consists of leaves and fruits. Sloths, living up to their name, sleep between 10 and 20 hours a day and come down from the trees once a week to relieve themselves or swim for a while. The female gives birth in the tree carrying her young clinging to her chest.

Fun facts

• The sloth bear’s stomach is divided into four compartments that slowly digest leaves. The sloth can take up to a month to digest a meal!
• To move on the ground, the sloth crawls on its stomach pushing its body after digging its claws into the ground.
• The sloth’s slow pace and thick fur make it a great habitat for other creatures like moths, beetles, cockroaches, fungi, and algae. In fact, the algae cover their green fur, providing a camouflage that protects them from predators.
• The sloth is neither a monkey nor a bear, it is related to anteaters, and more distantly, to armadillos.