What kind of animal is a sloth? We will explain its characteristics, ecology, and habitat. Sloths are animals that live in Central and South America and are often seen in zoos. It is a cute animal whose slow movements and hair make you feel very relaxed, but some of its subspecies are classified as endangered species.
What is a sloth? About basic status
Sloths are animals classified in the order Mammalia, suborder Slothina. Its scientific name is Folivora, and its body length is 60 to 70 cm and the weight is 4 to 8 kg. The list of information is as follows.
| Japanese（和名） | ナマケモノ |
| English（英名） | Sloth |
| scientific name(学名) | Folivora |
| classification（分類） | Mammalia、Pilosa、 Folivora 哺乳綱、有毛目、ナマケモノ亜目 |
| IUCN Status(保全状況) | LEAST CONCERN |
| Length（体長） | 60～70cm |
| Weight（体重） | 4～8kg |
About classification
Sloths are classified into the following types: Modern sloths are classified into two families: Slothidae and Slothidae. The following variants exist: The maned southern sloth is already classified as an endangered species.
- Bradypus pygmaeus ヒメミユビナマケモノ Pygmy three-toed sloth
- Bradypus torquatus タテガミナマケモノ Maned sloth
- Bradypus tridactylus ノドジロミユビナマケモノ Pale-throated sloth
- Bradypus variegatus ノドチャミユビナマケモノ Brown-throated sloth
- Choloepus didactylus フタユビナマケモノ Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth
- Choloepus hoffmanni ホフマンナマケモノ Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth
Bradypus pygmaeus
The pygmy three-toed sloth, also known as the monk sloth or dwarf sloth, is endemic to Escudo de Veraguas, a small island off the Caribbean coast of Panama. The length of the head and body is 48 to 53 cm, the weight is 2.5 to 3.5 kg, and there are only 79 individuals in total, so it is classified as an endangered species.
Bradypus torquatus
The maned southern sloth is a South American sloth that is endemic to the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and Bahia. The maned southern sloth is classified as critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List, and its population is on the decline.
Bradypus tridactylus
The green sloth is a type of sloth that lives in the rainforests of northern South America. The head and body length of the male is 45-55 cm, the tail is short, 4-6 cm, and the weight is 3.2-6 kg. However, females are significantly larger, measuring 50 to 75 cm in length and weighing 3.8 to 6.5 kg.
Bradypus variegatus
The black-throated sloth is a type of sloth found in the Neotropics of Central and South America. It is similar in size and build to most other species of sloths, with a rounded head with a blunt snout and inconspicuous ears.
Choloepus didactylus
The southern sloth, also known as the unau, or Linnaeus’ three-toed sloth, is found in Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Colombia, and north of the Amazon River in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.
Choloepus hoffmanni
The Hoffmann’s sloth, also known as the northern sloth, is a type of sloth that lives in Central and South America. It is a solitary, primarily nocturnal, arboreal animal found in mature and secondary rainforests and deciduous forests. The population is stable.
About habitat
Sloths are widely distributed from Central America to South America.
feature is? What kind of creature is it?
Although sloths are mammals, they have the unusual characteristic of being cold-blooded. Body temperature is low, fluctuating between 24 and 33 degrees Celsius. Sloths have an even weirder feature: they have almost no muscles. Sloths that don’t move much can’t generate heat. A sloth’s fur is green. This is because algae grows on the hair. They spend most of their lives in trees, sleeping and eating there. However, only the toilet is made of wood.
What is your personality like?
As you can see, sloths are very docile and quiet animals. However, when an enemy approaches, it will put out its claws and fight back. It is also known that even if you get a wound, the wound rarely becomes infected and recovers naturally, so it has a very high healing ability.
What is the ecology like?
Sloths ingest about 10g of plants per day. These animals have a very low basal metabolic rate and are able to maintain their vital activities even on very small amounts of food. The breeding season is from March to April, and the gestation period is about 5 to 10.5 months, and one calf is usually born per birth. The lifespan of sloths is approximately 30 years in captivity.
Are there any natural enemies?
The harpy eagle is a natural enemy of sloths. Sloths basically live on trees, so they are rarely attacked by animals on the ground, except when they go down to the ground to use the toilet.However, on the other hand, when they come down to the ground, they are in the biggest pinch and account for half of the deaths. A pattern of being attacked when going to the toilet. When it comes to moving, it is one of the slowest living creatures, so its body is slow, so its location is quickly determined and it is eaten.
Are sloths an endangered species?
The maned sloth is classified as an endangered species. Habitat destruction due to deforestation and other causes poses a major risk and threat, so their population will likely fluctuate greatly depending on human activities, for better or for worse. Pygmy three-toed sloths can only be found in the Caribbean, and their population is extremely small, making them extremely dangerous.
Can sloths be kept as pets?
Considering that they are extremely sensitive to stress and are cold-blooded animals, it is difficult to raise them in ordinary households. First of all, think it’s impossible.
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