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Sloth Fact Sheet
Animal Web Information
Kingdom: Animalia (the Animal Kingdom)
Phylum: Chordata (most mammals in the Chordate phylum possess backbones)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Pilosa (previously "Edentata" and "Xenarthra")
Families: Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae
Genera: Choloepus (two-toed sloths) and Bradypus (three-toed sloths)
Species: C. hoffmanni (Hoffman's two-toed sloth), C. didactylus (Linne's two-toed sloth, sometimes referred to as the Common or South American two-toed sloth), B. tridactylus (Pale-throated three-toed sloth), B. variegatus (sometimes referred to as B. cuculliger, the Brown-throated three-toed sloth), B. torquatus (Maned three-toed sloth), and B. pygmaeus (Pygmy three-toed sloth)
General
Location: North-western Brazil, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Columbia, and northern Peru (2-toed sloth); southern Honduras to Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina, Ecuador, northern and central Brazil and portions of its eastern coast (3-toed sloth)
Habitat: Canopies of trees in tropical rainforests
Common Name: Unau (two-toed sloth); Ai (three-toed sloth)
Natural Predators: Jaguar, Ocelot, Harpy Eagle, Caiman, Anaconda, Humans
Endangered: B. torquatus (Maned three-toed sloth), due to habitat destruction and excessive hunting per IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.
Physical Description
Length: 23 - 28 inches / 58 - 70 centimeters (two-toed sloth); 18 - 24 inches / 56 - 60 centimeters, plus a short tail 2.4 - 2.8 inches / 6 - 7 centimeters (three-toed sloth)
Weight: 6.8 - 17.6 pounds / 4 - 8 kg (two-toed sloth); 7.7 - 9.4 pounds / 3.5 - 4.5 kg (three-toed sloth)
Hair: Two layers of brown or white hair; outer layer thicker and sometimes with algae growth; length 6 inches / 15 centimeters (two-toed sloth) and 2.4 inches / 6 centimeters (three-toed sloth)
Digits: Two (hind limbs), two or three (forelimbs); each with a curved claw 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 centimeters) in length
Teeth: Rudimentary, enamel-less molars for grinding; no front teeth or incisors
Food and Metabolism
Food: Leaves, flowers, and fruit, such as cecropia leaves or hibiscus flowers
Digestion Rate: Up to a month
Metabolic Rate: 36% to 66% that of mammals of the same size and mass
Muscle Mass: 25% of body weight, half of most other mammals
Body Temperature: Variable; 86 - 93 degrees Fahrenheit (30 - 34 Celsius)
Average Climbing Speed: 6 - 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) per minute
Birth and Life Cycle
Mating Season: Believed to be year-round
Gestation: 5 to 6 months; about a year for C. hoffmanni
Birth Time: Approximately 15 - 30 minutes
Litter Size: One
Weaning Period: Approximately 9 months
Sexual Maturity: 3 years (female two-toed sloths); 4 - 5 years (male two-toed sloths)
Longevity: 10 - 12 years in the wild; up to 31 years in captivity