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Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth

Choloepus didactylus

Fast Facts

  • Their maximum speed is .2 miles per hour.
  • They can sleep 15 to 18 hours a day.
  • It can take a month for them to digest a meal.

Range

Northern area of South America

Habitat

Rainforest

Size

2 feet long

Nutrition

Leaves, flowers, fruits, insects


Characteristics


Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths are covered in light and dark brown fur. This coloration acts as a camouflage to keep them hidden in the trees. They have two toes on their front limbs and three toes on the back limbs. They have a curved claw at the end of each arm that is 3 to 4 inches long that helps them hang comfortably on tree branches

Behavior


Sloths move very slowly through the trees searching for food. They will only come down from the treetops to go to the bathroom or to get to a different tree. They sleep a lot, typically 15 hours or more a day. Sloths are built for hanging upside down, so they spend all their time that way. They even sleep, mate, and give birth hanging upside down.

Reproduction


Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths reach sexual maturity at 3 to 5 years old. They mate in the treetops while hanging upside down. The females are pregnant for 10 months. After the baby is born, it will hang onto its mother for about two years and then go on its own.

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