Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Mammalia

Three-Toed Sloth Bradypus variegatus

Sloths are fantastically slow-moving creatures found only in the rainforest canopies of South America. There are two kinds of sloths: those with three toes and those with only two. Sloths look grey-green in color because they move so slowly that tiny camouflaging algae grow all over their coats. Their enormous hooked claws and long arms make it possible for them to spend most of their time hanging from trees. The upside-down position of the sloth makes it convenient to feast on drooping leaves and fruits. The sloth does everything upside-down. He even sleeps that way.

~A Walk in the Rainforest © 1992