Sloths are the undisputed pull-up world champions. From the moment they are born sloths are able to lift their entire body weight upwards with just one arm. Not only that, but sloths have 30% less muscle mass than similar sized mammals and are over three times stronger than the average human.
This extraordinary plant predator is half blind, half deaf and spends most of its time sleeping in trees. So how does a sloth's day compare to ours?
Two: Sloths Urinate and Defecate just once a week
In fact, this is one of the only times they ever venture down from their leafy and branchy abode.
The facial structure of a sloth gives the appearance that it is constantly smiling – even if it is experiencing pain, stress or anxiety.
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.
Sloths live in tropical forests in South and Central America, and they actually move so slowly that algae grows on their fur.
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”).
The entry on sloths explains that while they eat a lot of plants, they avoid releasing gas through the quirk of their slow digestion. “They only poo about every three weeks,” says Rabaiotti. If gases accumulated in sloths' intestines over that long a time, they might get sick — and even burst.
Sloths are one of the slowest animals on the face of the earth, but they are also one of the smartest animals.
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.
Their natural response to fear or danger is to hold still, so it can be very difficult to tell when a sloth is in distress. Sloths are known for their lengthy claws, which are sharper than they look. They have surprisingly large teeth, which can inflict serious injury if the sloth is scared or irritated.
They have a very rare condition called rod monochromacy which means that they completely lack cone cells in their eyes. As a result all sloths are colour-blind, can only see poorly in dim light and are completely blind in bright daylight.
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.
According to multiple reports across the internet, hippos are the animals with the loudest farts. This isn't surprising because the average hippo weighs over 3,300 pounds!
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. For a sloth, this is a big deal.
Some have suggested that it's actually a protective instinct to defecate more quietly compared to the noisy canopy, while others have linked their ritualistic pooping to socializing with other sloths, who also descend to poop, while serving the ecosystem function of fertilizing trees.
Sloth myth 7 – Sloths are slow because they are intoxicated
And the fermentation process that occurs in the stomach doesn't render them drunk either.
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!
Sloths are legally blind.
These slow animals have rod monochromacy, a rare condition that means they lack cone cells in their eyes. Because of this sloths are colorblind, and can only see very poorly in dim lighting. Luckily, sloths incredible sense of smell more than makes up for this.
The IUCN Red List of endangered animals lists two species of sloths. There has been a steady decline in the number of these unhurried mammals as the years pass. Approximately 1,500 sloths stand in the wild today, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Koalas move at speeds of 15 mph to 20mph on the ground when they feel threatened. They can also climb at a speed of 0.7 mph. Sloths move at about 0.10 mph to 0.2 mph on the ground, meaning that the koala can climb several times faster than sloths can run.
They can cause the sloth undue distress
There has been research done that shows that sloths definitely do not like being held. When they are held, their heart rates increase and they are visibly more alert, indicating that being held by people can be very distressing and disorienting.