Sloths are famous for their unusual and bizarre bathroom habits. Both two-fingered (Choloepus) and three-fingered (Bradypus) sloths will only defecate once a week, and for some strange reason, they will only do it on the ground.
Two: Sloths Urinate and Defecate just once a week
This is because their slow pace makes them vulnerable to predators even half their size such as owls. They mate and give birth in the trees, but they appreciate a little more privacy when it's time to use the loo.
Sloths are known for their incredibly slow-moving natures, but it turns out that such sluggishness also carries over into their bathroom habits. So much so that they only defecate every five to seven days on average, and actually lose up to one-third of their body weight in a single movement!
You've probably never given much thought to the pooping habits of sloths, and we can't blame you. But you should, because it's generally pretty horrifying. It turns out that one of the side effects is all that slow movement – some meals can take sloths up to a month to digest – is a really sluggish bowel system.
Sloths consume plenty of fiber in the form of leaves (three-toed sloths) and a variety of leaves and fruits (two-toed sloths). Yet these foods are digested so slowly that sloths need to pass feces and urine only about once a week.
Sloths can seem cute and friendly, but if provoked they can be dangerous. According to AZ Animals, if left alone in their natural habitat, sloths do not pose a threat to humans. Sloths who become agitated or feel threatened may use their teeth or long nails to cause pain.
Due to their inherent lack of aggression, sloths are not a threat to humans. Sloths are solitary creatures who want to be left alone, thus unlike household animals, they do not like to be touched. So, if you come too close for their comfort, they can be deadly and severely hurt people.
That's very much credible, seeing as they are arboreal animals who mostly feed on leaves. While it is not something you want to stay around all day, sloth poop isn't nearly as smelly and pungent as dog poop or human poop.
Due to how much they eat in a day, koalas can poop up to 200 times daily. Koalas can poop up to 200 times every day. This is no surprise as their diet requires a lot of time and process to digest. They also produce little pellets round the clock, even when sleeping.
What is this? Fun fact #10: Sloths don't smell. In fact, they do not give off any sort of body odor as a way of staying camouflaged. Because they move so slowly, algae actually grows on their fur, making them smell like trees, thus protecting them further.
They can starve to death on a full stomach
If they get too cold, the special microbes that live in their stomachs can die, and the sloth can no longer digest the leaves that it eats.
Sloths snooze for about 15 hours per day. That leaves only nine hours to lumber through the trees.
Scientists estimate that with each dump, sloths lose about one-fifth of their body weight. ONE-FIFTH. That's the equivalent of a 150-pound person leaving a 30-pound poop.
They are also notorious for their incredibly bad personal hygiene, with pelts that are often discoloured green with algae ... and so filthy that they harbour their own diverse and unique microcosm of species. Of the two genera, the three-toed sloths rest at the extreme end of the laziness scale.
The three-toed sloth emits a long, high-pitched call that echoes through the forests as “ahh-eeee.” Because of this cry these sloths are sometimes called ais (pronounced “eyes”).
Only trained accredited rangers are allowed to hold a koala. This is a sensible law as it protects koalas from being stressed because a human wants to give it a hug. Koalas are wild animals and have a natural fear of humans, especially humans who they don't know.
Only sometimes, though -- it's mostly the young koalas that give off a slight eucalyptus scent. Adult koalas smell more like a mixture of urine and koala-mating musk, according to the Australian Koala Foundation.
Koala poo is about the size and shape of an olive, and it's usually a dark greenish colour. It's probably one of the least offensive types of poo, because it smells strongly of eucalyptus. Koalas produce these little pellets 24 hours a day, even when they're asleep, and they produce a lot of them – up to 360 a day.
If they feel threatened, they can use their long nails or teeth to inflict pain. When sloths grow agitated, they could potentially attack anyone who tries to interact with them. Whether it's another sloth, a predator, or even a friendly human. Sloth bites are deep, nasty, and can get infected quickly.
As adorable as sloths are—especially babies—these furry creatures should not be kept as pets.
Because they are wild animals, sloths do not crave or seek out human contact (even hand-raised ones once they have reached maturity). So unfortunately no matter how much love you plan on showering on your pet sloth, they will simply not reciprocate.
Adelaide Zoo is celebrating the life of one of its most iconic and oldest residents, Australia's last sloth, Miss C the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth.
Sloths have an average body temperature of around 31 degrees, so they can't survive outside of the tropics. Oh, me? I am just hanging around. Like koalas, there's a common misconception that sloths are slow and lazy because they're always high, or something along those lines.
While it's not yet possible to have a pet sloth in Australia, if that day ever does come around they might just replace dogs as the ultimate family pet.