• Key Information

  • Sloths

  • Species
    6 species
  • Diet
    Omnivore
  • Length
    34 to 31 inches
  • Weight
    7.9 to 17 lb
  • Lifespan
    Possibly around 15 to 20 years
  • Classification
    Mammalia > Xenarthra > Folivora
  • Conservation Status
    Varies, many threatened or endangered
  • Habitat
    Forests
  • Learning Point
  • The sloth is one of the most interesting animals, named because it seems lazy in how slowly it moves, it is designed to live upside down in trees, moving slowly to conserve energy. Today, all sloths live in trees, but in the past some were ground dwelling.
  • Project
  • Draw a sloth hanging upside down in a tree.
  • Media
  • Location
  • Places
    Central and Southern America (Hoffman's Two-Toed Sloth)
  • Fun Facts
  • Sloths can slow their heart rate to less than a third of normal, allowing them to hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes.
  • Three-toed sloths spend 90 percent of their time motionless.
  • Baby sloths learn what to eat by licking the lips of their mother.
  • The hairs of sloth grow the opposite way to most animals because they spend so much of their time upside down.