Sloths — the adorable and lethargic animals.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-sloths-slow-and-six-other-sloth-facts
CLASSIFICATION

 Kingdom:- Animalia

Phylum:- Chordata

Class:- Mammalia

Order:- Pilosa

Species:- B.variegatus

Genus:- Bradypus

INTRODUCTION 

Slots live on treetops, depend on the health and survival of Central and South American tropical forests. They spend much of their lives in the canopy, snoozing and remaining hidden from predators.
There are six extant sloth species in two genera – Bradypus (three-toed sloths) and Choloepus (two–toed sloths). Despite this traditional naming, all sloths actually have three toes on each rear limb, although two-toed sloths have only two digits on each forelimb.
The animals live solitary lives and travel from tree to tree using canopy vines. Located in places such as Brazil and Panama, the six species of this strange and wonderful animal need healthy forests to survive.

But tropical forests are some of the most vulnerable to deforestation. Loss of trees means animals are forced to live on smaller land areas that can’t support healthy populations. WWF works with communities, governments, companies, and other partners to protect forests and the animals that rely on them.

Sloths are so named because of their deficient metabolism and deliberate movements. Sloth, related to slow, literally means "laziness," and their common names in several other languages (e.g., French paresseux) also mean "lazy" or similar. Their slowness permits their low-energy diet of leaves and avoids detection by predatory hawks and cats hunt by sight.

• Sloths are almost helpless on the ground but can swim.
• The shaggy coat has grooved hair that is host to symbiotic green algae, which camouflages the animal in the trees and provides it nutrients.
•  The algae also nourish sloth moths, some species of which exist solely on sloths.

MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY 

• Sloths can be 60 to 80 cm (24 to 31 in) long.
• Depending on the species, it weighs from 3.6 to 7.7 kg.
• Two-toed sloths are slightly larger than three-toed sloths.
• Sloths have long limbs and rounded heads with tiny ears. 
• Sloths are unusual among mammals in not having seven cervical vertebrae. Two-toed sloths have five to seven, while three-toed sloths have eight or nine (other mammals not having seven are the manatees, with six.)

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-sloths-slow-and-six-other-sloth-facts

Some commonly asked questions. 

1. Why are sloths slow?

Sloths have a meager metabolic rate, which means they move at a languid, sluggish pace through the trees. On average, sloths travel 41 yards per day—less than half the length of a football field!

2. How often do sloths sleep?

Sloths snooze for about 15 hours per day. That leaves only nine hours to lumber through the trees. They maintain a low body temperature of about 86°F-93°F and move in and out of the shade to regulate their body temperature.

3. What do sloths eat?

Sloths munch on leaves, twigs, and buds. Because the animals don’t have incisors, they trim down leaves by smacking their firm lips together. A low metabolic rate means sloths can survive on relatively little food; it takes days for them to process what other animals can digest in a matter of hours.

4. What threats do sloths face?

Though not all sloths are endangered, some of the six species are threatened by habitat loss. Deforestation in South and Central America's tropical forests jeopardize the trees sloths rely on for food and shelter.

5. Do sloths know how to swim?

Surprisingly, sloths are strong swimmers. They will sometimes drop down from their treetop perches into the water and use their extended arms to propel through the water.

6. Do sloths ever leave the trees?

Sloths spend most of their time up in the canopy, coming down only one time per week to relieve themselves. The trees provide natural protection from predators such as jaguars and eagles; it’s safer for sloths to remain motionless and camouflaged off the ground. They will, however, venture down on rare occasions to find more food or a mate.

7. Are sloths endangered?

The smallest sloth, called the pygmy three-toed sloth, is found only on a small island off Panama's coast, where it is critically endangered. Some species, like the maned three-toed sloth, are considered vulnerable. Others, like the southern two-toed sloth (also called the Linne’s or Linnaeus’ two-toed sloth), are designated as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

8. So, do sloths have predators?

Jaguars and eagles are common predators of sloths.

Do sloths have tails?

They’re not much to look at, but three-toed sloths do have short, stubby tails.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-sloths-slow-and-six-other-sloth-facts

Reputation: Sloths are lazy and stupid. They have to be because they look it. They are covered in algae. Yuck! They climb to the ground to perform ritual defecation at the base of a tree, a risky business when there are eagle-eyed, fleet-footed predators around. They are bad at crossing roads. Silly sloths.

Reality: Slowness is the ultimate weapon in an evolutionary war against eagle-eyed, fleet-footed predators. What better way to blend in with the forest than to cozy up with algae and fungi. Ritual defecation is the sloth equivalent of speed dating, just without the speed.

That is all for this week! Let's all aim at converting our deficiencies into weapons and win through the coming week!