TWO-TOWED SLOTH

Choloepus didactylus
The two-toed sloth is one of two species sloth. Both have three claws on their hind-legs. As the name indicates they have only two claws on their front legs. Two-toed sloth have a short, fine undercoat, and an overcoat of longer, coarse hair, which can turn green in moist conditions due to algae growth. Their body can become a living ecosystem. Sloths maintain a low variable body temperature from 86 to 93 which falls during cooler hours or wet weather, and whenever the animals are inactive. They hang without expending much effort and even eat while hanging. These traits help them conserve energy. Sloths are unusual among mammals since they do not always having seven cervical vertebrae. Two-toed sloths have five to seven vertebrae.

DIET

Two-toed sloths have a diverse diet of leaves insects, carrion, fruits, and small lizards.

FAST FACTS

Size: 21-29 inches
Weight: 9-17 lbs
Lifespan: 20 years in the wild.

CONSERVATION STATUS

VULNERABLE