The face of a three-toed sloth.

The Life of The Three-Toed Sloth

I.Slow and Steady Sloth

     Deep in the canopies of the Guatemalan and Honduran rainforests, there lives an unusual creature. It is called the three-toed sloth. The sloth caught my eye because I adore peaceful animals and I also love things that don't eat meat. That's when I heard about the  three-toed sloth. When I heard about the sloth I thought, "What a perfect animal!" Soon, you will learn about the fascinating life of the three-toed sloth.

II. The Sloth's Family

     The specific species of the sloth I chose was the three-toed sloth. The fascinating three-toed sloth's relatives are the armadillo and the anteaters. Though scientists usually find the sloth alone, they occasionally are found in a group of two or more. This is called a "bed." In conclusion, if you are ever lucky enough to find a sloth, you're most apt to see it alone.

The brown throated three-toed sloth.

III. Unusual Features

     Sloths spent most of their life hanging upside-down, and because of this crazy life style, many of their internal organs are upside-down! The sloths fur is also upside-down! This allows rain to run off.  Their outer hair is wiry and rough, but a thick layer of softer hair grows underneath them.

IV. Living in the Canopy

     The amazing three-toed sloth can be located in the canopies of the Guatemalan and Honduran rainforests. A canopy in the rainforest layer above the under story. It is below a recently discovered layer called the emergent layer. Scientists have discovered, over many years of studying sloths, that they do not, in fact, migrate. This unusual mammal's range is from Central America and South America. 

V. Bugs, Twigs, and More

     The eating habits of the sloth is very different from what we eat. Unless you eat bugs, twigs, buds, and leaves. They get this "appetizing" meal by sl-o-o-o-o-o-owly moving across branches. They can walk across small branches because they are about ten to twelve pounds. 

VI. The Fierce Sloth

     The sloth's natural enemies are the jaguar, harpy eagle, ocelot, anaconda, and human being. But the sloth has an advantage. Its thick fur makes it hard to cut through, so its enemies usually don't get to have a sloth snack. The sloth defends itself by hisses at the predator. Then, it swings its long claws out to the enemy. If the enemy gets too close, it may try to bite. In conclusion, the sloth's fierce attitude and fur helps it from being an endangered species.

A baby three-toed sloth.

VII. Babies!!!

  Did you hear that? It's a female sloth telling a male sloth it's ready to mate. If two males come simultaneously, they hang up side down from their back legs, and swing their front legs at one another. Who ever wins, gets to have the female. The female is about three to four years old when it's finally ready to mate. When it does mate and get pregnant, it's about six months until the baby is born, and only one is born. But on the bright side, the sloth lives to be about twelve to twenty years, so it has about nine babies in its life time. Its life is about twelve to twenty years because of the loss of rain forests.

VIII. Humans and Sloths

  After many days of research, I have found that the relationships between the sloth and the humans is that they both have two eyes, they both have fur, they both are mammals, and they both breathe in oxygen. Though the sloth's homeland is disappearing, the sloth is only threatened.  This is because the sloth has thick fur and as a result, is not easy to kill. Also, because the sloth blends into trees which makes it very hard to find. As a result, the sloth is only threatened because of the way it was made.   

IX. Sleepy!

     Did you know that sloth means "laziness"? Well, it does and you're about to find out why. The sloth hardly moves at all. In fact, the sloth lives in a tree for a really long time. Unlike the other animals in trees that moves constantly. Also, the sloth sleeps for fifteen hours a day!

X. Adaptation

     In case you didn't know, the rain forest is really hot! The sloth has to adapt to this climate, or it will die. The sloth adapts to rain forest by moving to the shady parts on the hot days, so it doesn't over heated, and moving to the sunny parts on the not-to-hot-but-not-to-cold days. And so, the sloth lives in a very hot place, but has adapted to it by using its "noodle".

XI. Strange Habits

     The three-toed sloth has very strange habits. The female screams "aiiii-eeeee" to let males know that they're ready to mate. Also, the sloth swims across a river just to get to another tree. Thus, the sloth has very strange habits.

 Sloth on ground, covered in algae.

XII. Characteristics

     The three-toed sloth is mind boggling! Their head can turn farther to the right and left then the two-toed sloth can. Some can even turn their heads all the way around! Also, the sloth is about twelve pounds and can be ten pounds! Another characteristic of the sloth is that it swims across a river to get to another tree. And so, the sloth has very strange characteristics. 

XIII. Good-Bye... For Now

     Your journey inside the tropical rain forests ends here, but before you go, I need to inform you about a very serious matter. The rain forests are disappearing. This, is our species fault. So if we made the mess, it is our responsibility to clean it up. The sloth's home in the canopies are being erased! SAVE THE SLOTH!!! Try to turn of the lights when you don't use them, buy "iguana burgers", and boycott things made from rainforest wood. It will help you, me, the animals of the rainforest, and the rainforest.

Work Cited

Books: 

          Squire, Ann. Anteaters, Armidillos, and Sloths. 1999.

          Stewart, Melissa. Sloths. 2005.

          Paige, Joy. The Sloth: World's Slowest Mammal. 2002.

Encyclopedia:

          Schlitter, Duane. "Sloth." World Book. 2007.

Almanac:

          World Almanac and Book of Facts. 2008.

Websites:

          National Geographic. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com> March 24, 2009.

          Grolier. <http://www.go.grolier.com> March 16, 2009.