The sloth. This short, flat headed mammal is found Central and Southern America, belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. Sloths have very big eyes, short snouts, long legs and tiny ears. They also have short stubby tails which are usually about 6-7 cm long. Sloths are omnivorous, eating mostly vegetation. They may also eat the occasional insect, small lizard or carrion. The main diet for sloths, however, consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves. What a splendid diet!



One thing that makes this mammal so unique and fascinating, is its stomach. According to wikipedia.com, two-thirds of a sloth’s body weight is made up of the contents in its stomach. Their digestive process can take up to a month or more to complete. How fascinating indeed!



Another feature of the sloth that makes it so unique is its fur. The outer hairs of the fur grow in the opposite direction then other mammals according to wikipedia.com. In most mammals, the hairs grow toward the extremities but because the sloth spends most of its time with its legs above its body, the hair grow from the extremities in order to provide protection from the elements while the sloth is upside down.

The fur also provides great camouflage which obviously protects it from evil prey. The outer fur coat on a sloth normally appears to be a thick brown, but occasionally the wild sloth will appear to have a greenish tint. This is due to the presence of bacteria. The sloth will lick this bacteria for nutrients. What a beautiful and mysterious creature!



The claws of the sloth serve as their natural defense. According to wikipedai.com, when cornered a sloth will swipe at its attacker in an effort to scare them away or wound them.

Though at first glance the sloth may appear defenseless, predators do not pose special problems. In trees, sloths are camouflaged and difficult for predators to spot.

They also move very slowly which does not draw attention.

The main predators of the sloth are jaguars, harpy eagles, and humans. Sadly, most fatalities in Costa Rica are from sloths getting into power lines and poachers. What a sad, sad way to die!