Sloths are the slowest animals in the world. They also happen to be the cutest animals. Sloths are so slow that their name itself means sluggishness or laziness. The top speed of a sloth is 0.003 miles per hour. Also, they are so slow in movement that algae grow on them.
Native to Central America, the three-toed sloth (Bradypodidae bradypus) is the slowest mammal in the world, moving at the hair raising speed of up to 2.4 meters per minute on the ground. When they’re up in their favored canopy these rainforest animals are able to pick up their speed to around a 4.6 meters per minute.
In fact, their top speed is so slow that it’s algae growing on their coats that gives them a greenish tinge. They also have the accolade that their name is a synonym of slow movement!.
Sloths have an incredibly low metabolic rate and need only a few leaves and twigs for nutrition, along with a very slow digestive system leading to their sluggish pace. In combination, the sloth’s anatomical structure differs from other mammals in having very long arms with very short shoulder-blades, which allows them a large reach without the effort of too much movement, and adds to their languid style of movement.
Credit : Safaris
Picture Credit : Google
