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!