Sloths are amazing animals that never and never in a hurry. They are rightfully considered the slowest on earth. Per long millennia of such a lifestyle in them even in the structure of the body significant changes uncharacteristic of the rest to animals. They live in South America.
The average speed of movement in trees is about 2.4 m / s, they move along the trunk, clinging to it with claws that can reach 10 cm in length.
Sloths have forgotten how to walk the earth for a long time. Pushing off paws and overloading on the belly, they will be able to overcome about 150 meters per hour: for comparison, the turtle will overcome in the same time 800 m.
There are 2 types of sloths: two-fingered and three-fingered
Their hair has a direction of growth not from the back to the stomach, as in most animals, but vice versa. This is because the whole life sloths hang on the branches up belly, and in the rain water drains down on them, not lingering on the body.
This beast is so lazy that it does not follow the hair in which Settlement butterflies and other insects settle. And in periods of rains blue-green algae grow from moisture on his coat, thanks to by which, the fur becomes greenish. This coloring gives additional disguise.
Paws are very strong, and even a few adult men will not be able to tear it from the branch on which it hangs.
Sloths descend to the earth only once a week to celebrate well, I’m waiting. To do this, they dig a hole, and having done the job, they bury it again. In order to withstand such a long time, they have developed a very large bladder. And not only has he changed due to upside-down lifestyle: the liver rolled over to the back and not touches the abdominal wall, the trachea has become very long and with a bend, and the stomach is so large that it occupies almost the entire body of the animal.
The descent from the tree and the climb back are so difficult for them that if the cub from mom will fall down, mom is unlikely to be behind him to go down.
Since these animals spend all their time on trees, then for Drinks are content with dew or rain drops.
Sloth knows how to turn his neck by 170 degrees. And some three-fingered species – by 300. These are the only animals in which from 8 up to 10 cervical vertebrae, while other mammals have 7.
According to archaeologists, once there were sloths the size of an elephant.
These animals can swim very well and can delay breathing under water for up to 20 minutes, and some up to 40.
The animals are so lazy that they are even too lazy to go down the tree, they curl up and fall to the ground. Back to the tree takes about 3 days.
Fatty sloth lays in the pads of the hind legs.
These amazing creatures live next to us on Earth.
