Zviera
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth
Life beneath a branch: strong claws and slow digestion of plant food.
Jazyk obsahu
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth spends most of its life in trees, hanging upside down from branches. It also sleeps in this position. Strong, curved claws, which can reach ten centimetres, allow it to support its weight for long periods. Its habitat is tropical forest, and it is mainly active at night. Remaining quietly in one place is part of its natural way of life.
The sloth eats leaves, buds, young twigs and fruit. This plant diet is associated with a slow use of energy. Digesting leaves can take up to thirty days, and the animal’s metabolism is exceptionally slow. Its body temperature may be around 34 degrees Celsius. A sloth takes just six to eight breaths per minute. Movement, breathing and digestion all follow an economical rhythm.
Its body can reach around 60 centimetres in length and weigh up to nine kilograms. Pregnancy lasts roughly 263 days, and its lifespan can reach 25 years. When watching this animal, the way it hangs beneath a branch is especially revealing: the strong grip of its claws supports its entire body even while resting.
Pre deti
A sloth can sleep while hanging upside down. It holds onto a branch with strong claws that can be ten centimetres long. It spends most of its life in tropical forest trees and is mainly active at night.
It eats leaves, buds, young twigs and fruit. Its body works slowly: digesting leaves can take up to thirty days. That is almost a whole month! A sloth uses energy sparingly and takes around six to eight breaths a minute. Slowness is part of its way of life.
Its body can measure about 60 centimetres and weigh up to nine kilograms. Those claws have quite a load to support. Look at how they curl around a branch while the animal rests. Even without fast movement, its body shows how well it suits life beneath a bough.
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What lets a sloth remain suspended beneath a branch for a long time?
- Poloha
- Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth