Three Toed Sloth
Scientific Name
*Bradypus tridactylus
Size and Appearance
*The three toed sloth weighs approx. 9-11 pounds.
*It is about 23-27 inches long.
*This sloth has a short snout, small ears, and eyes that are directed forward.
*It has very long legs, especially the front pair which have 3 long, hooklike
claws each.
*The sloth’s thick, bristly, hairy coat is dark gray to beige in color with
lighter streaks.
*A sloth’s hair grows in the opposite direction from that of other mammals.
Habitat
*Three toed sloths are exclusively arboreal (they live in the trees only).
Range
*These mammals can be found in tropical rain forests from Honduras, all the
way down to Northern Argentina.
Food
*Sloths are completely vegetarian. They eat almost exclusively, the leaves,
flowers, and fruits of the ymbahuba tree. Sloths are nocturnal (active after
dark) animals and feed at night.
Interesting Facts
*The three toed sloths are called “Ai” by the natives because of the shrill cry
they make in order to keep in contact with other sloths.
*A sloth can turn its head 270 degrees - that’s more than halfway around!
This enables the sloth to look straight ahead while hanging upside down.
*Sloths are good swimmers, but cannot walk on the ground.
*Sloths have poor eyesight, but can see in color!
*Sloths also have poor hearing and depend on their senses of smell and
touch for finding food.
*Gestation (period of time while a female is pregnant) lasts about 6 months
and 1 baby is born while the female hangs from a branch with her forearms!
The baby is suckled for about a month and then fed on regurgitated (spit up)
food. The young sloth clings to its mother while she hangs in the trees.