Whenever International Sloth Day rolls around, we always find ourselves feeling philoslothical (sorry – we couldn’t help ourselves). Here are five fast facts about our favorite, very slow animal. Hang in there!
It can take a whole day for a sloth to cross from one tree to the next, while another may scarcely ever move from a favorite tree. Sloths have little need to speed up as they’re surrounded by their leafy food and well camouflaged from predators! When climbing, they reach a scorching top speed of 1 mph.
Sloths are vegetarians and have large, complicated stomachs to help them digest their food. They take a month to completely digest a meal!
Sloths look like they’re grinning all the time. To save energy, they don’t ever change their expression (We have to admit, we haven't ever been that lazy).
Didn’t get off the sofa last weekend? Don’t feel too bad about it. Sloths rarely come down to the ground because they’re vulnerable there and can only move by crawling awkwardly.
The fur of a sloth often appears greenish due to the growth of algae, which thrives in the humidity of the rainforest. The coat is also home to the sloth moth – which lives nowhere else.
To learn more about sloths and other endearing creatures, check out our full range of books on animals.