Brown-throated sloth

Cute but lazy species harmlessly sleep in the trees for 14 to 16 hours a day

Henry Alien

These sloths wear a brown coat which sometimes gets stained with algae giving a greenish appearance. As the name suggests, each limb ends in three-clawed toes. The unique vertebral arrangement allows them to rotate their head up to 270 degrees.

After birth, the mother pulls the infant between the hind legs (to prevent the infant from falling) while other sloths help the baby and mother get clean. Males do not play any role in children’s lives, while females teach them to live and survive. Two unique sleeping behaviors are observed in this species: (1) “awake-alert” (open and blinking eyes); and (2) “behavioral sleep” (closed eyes but hanging from the tree). Although, like any other sloth, they’re very lazy but climb down to the ground to urinate.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Argentina
2022
Possibly Extinct: Jujuy
Bolivia
2022
Brazil
2022
Colombia
2022
Costa Rica
2022
Ecuador
2022
Honduras
2022
Nicaragua
2022
Panama
2022
Peru
2022
Venezuela
2022

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No

Brown-throated sloth on banknotes

Costa Rica 10,000 Colones (2009-2014)

Costa Rica 10,000 Colones (2019)