Why does sloth move slow

But sloths have a secret up their sleeve: Their slow metabolic rate means they can survive off of very little food, which is especially useful during droughts. Rarely leaving the trees means sloths are protected from predators, like jaguars and eagles, which can pick younger or weaker sloths off of the forest floor.

Sloths are extremely sleepy, snoozing for over 15 hours a day. Sloths are well adapted to their rainforest habitat. But, like many forest-dwelling critters, they are threatened by habitat destruction and deforestation. Sloth moms only give birth about once every six months. The babies cling to their mom for around six months, learning the ropes of what it takes to survive in the jungle. They are pretty unique creatures. Loading Something is loading. Email address. Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Coronavirus and wildlife, can zoonotic diseases decimate the illegal trade in wild animals? Coronavirus 11 may Oceans 6 may Moon bears, a sanctuary to save them from bile farms opens in Laos. Environment 27 april Seychelles, one third of the ocean becomes a marine protected area. Oceans 9 april Brazil, a tapir is born in the Atlantic Forest for the first time in over a century. Forests 2 april Sloths live in rainforests, where habitat destruction is a serious threat.

Supporting the responsible use of resources like choosing Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee can help protect them from habitat loss. Their unique diet, lifestyle and health needs require specialized care.

Skip to main content. Entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. All visitors ages 2 and older are required to wear a mask in all indoor spaces at the Zoo, regardless of their vaccination status.

Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas. And Other Sloth Facts. Share this page:. Why are Sloths So Slow? And Other Sloth Facts Oct. What is a sloth? So, are sloths marsupials or primates? Where do sloths live?

Why are sloths so slow? And why does it work? The answer is surprisingly simple: Being slow is an incredibly successful strategy for survival. In fact, being slow has helped sloths to survive on this planet for almost 64 million years. It is obviously a winning tactic. But in order to understand exactly what it is, that makes them so slow and why it works so well, we have to look at the biology of these unusual animals in a little bit more detail.

This leaves them completely colorblind , only able to see poorly in dim light and completely blind in bright daylight. Sloths acquired this odd condition a long time ago — way before they broke off from anteaters on the evolutionary tree! Sloths were originally ground-dwellers check out the Giant Ground Sloths , and the sloths that we see today only took to the trees quite recently in their evolutionary history. As they were already mostly blind by this point, moving into the trees was a dangerous move.

There are not many blind climbers, and those that do usually have amazing adaptations to cope with the lack of vision. Slowness was the only option for sloths! Both two and three-fingered sloths have a predominantly folivorous diet , meaning that they feed mostly on leaves with notably low caloric content.