The Natural History of the Sloth

The Natural History of the

SlothBy Angel Hartman

Biology 101Professor Swatski

Anatomy & Physiology

• Fur Coat

• Algae

• About the size of a cat

• Small eyes, snout, head, and tail

• Large eyes and legs

• Very long, sturdy claws

Great for climbing

Terrible for crawling

Anatomy &

Physiology Cont.

• Slow

• Don’t fall often

• Body

temperature

75-91 degrees

Fahrenheit

(24-33 degrees

Celsius)

• Jaguar, Harpy

Eagle, and

humans

Behaviors

• Mostly upside-

down

• Eat, sleep,

mate, and give

birth

• Nocturnal

• 15-20 hrs.

• Once a week

from trees

• Solar energy

Diet• Leaves• Fruit• Flowers• Twigs• Buds• Water

• 1 month to digest

Life Cycle10-12 month

gestation periodOne baby at a timeTotal of one year

together20 years in wild30 years in captivity

Conservation Status• Unable to survive

outside the tropical rainforests

• Successful creatures

• Only one species endangered

• Destruction of rainforests may lead to more

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Works Cited