Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pilosa
Family: Bradypodidae
Genus: Bradypus
Species: Varigatus
There are four species of three-toed sloths, one of which is the Brown Throated three-toed sloth that is native to Central and South America. All sloths spend the majority of their lives high in the treetops of rainforests. Their long claws are curved making them perfectly shaped to hang from tree branches. Sloths sleep, eat and even give birth in trees high above the forest floor. They very rarely descend from the treetops as this is when they are most vulnerable to attacks from predators because they are unable to effectively walk. Brown Throated three-toed sloth
The algae that grows in the fur of sloths is a very specific kind of algae, and the two living organisms have a symbiotic relationship. It can’t be found in any other environment. The sloth provides the algae a place to live and a good supply of water. The algae help hide the sloth from predators. The sloths gain their algae colonies from their mothers at just a few weeks old. Some scientists also think that the algae help feed the sloth by providing nutrients through the sloth’s skin. No one totally understands the relationship, but it is unique in the animal kingdom.
• They are some of the slowest-moving animals in the world.
• They are herbivores; their favorite foods include leaves, twigs and fruit.
• Their plant diet also provides the water that they need.
• It can take a month for a sloth to digest a meal.
• They are about the size of a cat and weigh 8 or 9 pounds.
• They sleep 15 to 20 hours a day.
• They are good swimmers, but on land they just drag themselves along the ground with their front arms.
• They are called three-toed sloths because they have three long claws on each hand.
• They have long greyish-brown fur.
• The fur usually has a greenish tinge from the algae that live in its hair.
• The algae add some camouflage for the sloth and help them blend into the green leaves around them.
