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Fast Facts:

The Two-toed Sloth has been called the slowest animal on earth.
Unlike most mammals, the fur of the Two-Toed Sloth curves from the stomach to the back to allow the rain to run off. Each strand of hair has grooves that attract and collect algae giving it its camouflage.
Their long curved claws allow them to hang from branches.

Two-toed Sloth

Scientific Name	Choloepus didactylus
Classification	Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Endentata Family: Choloepidae
Status	Stable
Range	Central America and northern South America
Habitat	Tropical rainforest canopies
Diet	Leaves, twigs, fruit
Size	Length: 21-29 inches Weight: 9-17 pounds
Lifespan	20 yrs.
Location
Print Fact Sheet	Sloth

Special Features

They have 2 front toes and 3 back toes.
They move along branches with a hand-over-hand motion.
Food will stay in their digestive tract up to a month since they have such a slow metabolic rate.
They defecate about once a week, and in the wild they urinate only when rain can mask their urine stream. . Two-toed Sloths are mostly silent, but can let out hisses and low cries or moans if upset.
Eyesight is not well-developed, but senses of hearing and smell are sharp.
Sloths have an unusually low body temperature for a mammal.

Social Structure & Behavior

Although sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees, they can crawl on the ground for short distances, they are good swimmers. Usually solitary, it is not unusual to find several females in the same tree.

Reproduction
Sexual maturity at 3.5-5 years. Gestation 5-6 months. Gives birth upside down. Single birth. Infant clings to mother's belly for several weeks until it is strong enough to hang by itself.