Slow, Sleepy Sloths
by Gillian Luévano
Sloths are unusual creatures that live in the forests of Central
and South America, where they like to lounge in trees. Sloths
look almost like monkeys but are related to armadillos and
anteaters. Sloths are a little bigger than cats and appear green.
The green color is caused by a plant called algae that grows in
their hair!
Sloth, which means lazy, is a perfect name for these
creatures. Sloths sleep about 15–20 hours a day. These slow
animals move at a speed of about seven feet per minute. When
sloths are awake, they spend most of their time eating their
favorite food: leaves.
Sloths have much longer arms than legs, which makes it
difficult for them to walk on the ground. If sloths want to move
across the ground, they have to crawl, using their arms to pull
themselves along. Because sloths are so slow, they spend most of
their time in trees. Once a week they come down from the trees
to go to the bathroom. Sloths may not be able to walk, but they
are excellent swimmers. Sometimes sloths that live next to rivers
will jump in and swim to a different tree to eat.
Two types of sloths are alive today: the three–toed sloth and
the two-toed sloth. These two types of sloths have some things in
common, like eating leaves and being good swimmers. They also
have many differences.
Three–Toed Sloths
The most well–known sloth is the Bradypus variegatus, or
three–toed sloth. The three–toed sloth has three claws on each
foot. Three–toed sloths are popular because of the way they look.
A three–toed sloth is about two feet long and weighs around nine
pounds. It has a four–inch tail, grey hair, and a flat face with
black markings on its eyes and mouth. The markings on its
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mouth look like a big smile. The hair on a three–toed sloth's head
is parted in the middle, making the sloth look like it went to the
barbershop for a haircut. Because of their smiles and hair, three–
toed sloths look a lot like people.
Though three–toed sloths are the most well–known sloth, they
are very rare1. Because so few three–toed sloths are alive, they
are now an endangered species2. Three–toed sloths are hard to
keep in captivity, or under human care. They would rather live in
the wild. Because of this, only a few facts are known about this
type of sloth. Three–toed sloths are known to spend most of their
time sitting up in the fork of a tree. Also, they can turn their
heads almost all the way around! This talent allows three–toed
sloths to see predators and keep safe.
People in South and Central America call three–toed sloths by
a different name. In this area, three–toed sloths are called "ais,"
pronounced "eyes." When the sloths are in trouble, or when they
want to meet other sloths, they call out "ahhh–eee" to find help
or a friend.
Two–Toed Sloths
The most common sloth is the Choloepus hoffmanni, or two–
toed sloth. A two–toed sloth has two claws on its front feet and
three claws on its hind feet. A two–toed sloth is bigger than a
three–toed sloth and does not have a tail. A two–toed sloth has
brown hair, a pointy face, and a piglike nose.
Two–toed sloths are not only more common, but they are also
able to live with humans. Two–toed sloths are kept in zoos
around the world. Because two–toed sloths are more common
and easier to study, more is known about them than three–toed
sloths. Two–toed sloths like to spend most of their time hanging
upside down. They live to be about 20 years old and have babies
about every three years.
Both three–toed and two–toed sloths are wonderful creatures.
They add to the variety of animals in the forests of South and
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Central America. Sloths might be slow, but they are an important
species that needs to be protected.
1
not common
2
a type of animal that is so uncommon that it is likely to become extinct
END OF TEXT
"Slow, Sleepy Sloths" by Gillian Luévano, copyright © 2012 by The University of Kansas.
Bibliography:
"The Sloth Sanctuary: Our Mission." Slothsanctuary.com. Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica.
Web. Nov. 2012.
"Three-Toed Sloth." Nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012.
"Two-Toed Sloth." Nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic, 2012. Web. Nov. 2012.
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