Page 156 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

156 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

Sloths are such famously slow-moving animals that their they need to be extremely energy-efficient in their habits.
name is a byword for laziness.Yet the truth is that these This is why sloths move as little as possible and leave the
lethargic creatures aren’t really lazy at all.They’re just tree tops only once a week to defecate!
superbly energy-efficient. They spend hours grazing in ultra-slow motion and,
Sloths are folivores, which means that the bulk of their after filling their bellies, sloths will settle down to sleep
diet consists of leaves and buds.This isn’t an especially for at least 10 hours each day.Their bodies are pared
nutritious or energy-rich food source, so sloths have down to an energy-efficient minimum. It takes a lot of
enlarged stomachs with multiple compartments.These food energy to build and maintain muscle, so sloths make
compartments contain cellulose-digesting bacteria that do with less than half the muscle mass of other mammals.
help break down the tough fibres.Around two-thirds of They are warm-blooded, but because they convert food
the weight of a well-fed sloth consists of the contents of into energy at half the rate of a similar-sized mammal
their stomach, and their metabolisms are so slow they can they have difficulty retaining a high or constant body
take up to one month to completely digest a meal. Even temperature. Instead, they warm themselves by snoozing
then, they get so little fuel from the food they eat that in selected sunny spots. If temperatures fall, then they

Life in the rainforest can be dangerous. If predators don’t get Sloths may be slow and lethargic, but they do have one
you, flooding rivers may leave you marooned. surprising skill –they are strong and efficient swimmers.

Unfortunately, clambering back up on to dry land isn’t that They can’t walk so they must pull themselves along on all
easy, and it’s here that sloths are at their most vulnerable. fours,which makes them a prime target for any predator.

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.