What is the Slowest Mammal on Earth? Amazing Sloth Facts for Kids

 

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  • Sloths are mammals
  • There are six species for sloth divided into two groups the two-toed sloth and the three-toed sloth.
  •  The two-toed sloth is larger than the three-toed sloth.
  • Sloths live in the jungles and rainforests of Central and South America.
  •  Sloths have small heads with big eyes, tiny ears and short stubby tails.
  •  They have long legs with long toes that look like claws. The two-toed sloth has two and the three-toed sloth has three.
  •  A sloth’s claws are their only defense against predators.
  • Jaguars, eagles, snakes and humans are all predators to the sloth.
  • Sloths have a greenish color algae that grows on their fur that acts as camouflage in the trees.
  • Sloths can weigh up to 40 pounds are 50-60 cm long.
  • They can live up to 40 years old.
  •  Sloths are arboreal mammals meaning they spend most of their time in trees. In fact sloths spend most of their time hanging upside down from trees.
  • Sloths spend most of their day sleeping and eating.
  • Sloths sleep between 15-18 hours a day.
  • Sloths are great swimmers. They haven been known to drop down from trees directly into water.
  • Sloths are known as the smallest mammal on earth.
  • They only move 13ft per minute.
  •  Sloths are solitary mammals meaning they spend most of their time alone. They only  contact of sloths when mating.
  • Sloths eat mostly leaves however they may also eat twigs, fruit, insects and sometimes even small birds.
  • Mother sloths give birth to one baby per year.
  • Sloths are related to anteaters and armadillos.
  • Fun Fact: An extinct species of sloths known as ground sloths were the size of an elephant!