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October 20th
It’s always a good idea to take some time to take it easy, especially on International Sloth Day! Here at RWPZoo, we are home to four Linne’s two-toed sloths: Fiona, Beanie, Westley, and Riley. Riley is an ambassador animal and spends his time behind-the-scenes, while our family of three can be found in their Faces of the Rainforest habitat.
Linne’s two-toed sloths are native to the tropical rainforests of Central to South America. As their name suggests, the front limbs of these tree-dwelling herbivores have - you guessed it – two toes. However, like all species of sloths, its rear limb has three toes. Their curved, sharp claws are 3-4 inches long and all four feet have very calloused pads. These adaptations make sloths perfectly suited for life upside down in the trees.
Sloths rarely come down from the canopy level of the rain forest, so if you’re ever on the lookout for these slow-moving mammals … just look up!
Advice from Beanie, your guide to be a better sloth:
Take it easy
• On average, sloths travel 41 yards per day—less than half the length of a football field! Why do they move so slowly? It’s to conserve energy. A sloth’s diet is primarily full of leafy greens and low in calories which matches their slow metabolism. To save energy they move at a relaxing pace and don’t wander too far from home.
Try to make time to exercise
periods of time without wasting any energy. This also allows them the ability to sleep while hanging from tree branches.
Eat your veggies
• Sloths eat a variety of leaves, veggies, and some fruit. They have a large, four-chambered stomach, like a cow. Even their innards move slowly, and some food items can take days or even up to an entire month to digest!
Get plenty of rest
• Sloths sleep in trees, and they sleep a lot—some 15 to 20 hours every day.
Cuddles are great
• Baby sloths will cling to their moms for nearly the first full year of their lives, then continue to stay by their mother’s side and within the same territory.
Don’t skip dental care
• Linne’s two-toed sloths are born with a set of small molars that continuously grow but are constantly ground down by chewing. Due to a lack of front teeth, they use their hardened lips to grasp and tear vegetation.