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Sloth Facts for Kids

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Sloth Facts for Kids
Here are some handy tips and fun facts to help you understand all about the
rainforests! Including fantastic sloth facts for kids.
8 min
Updated: 26th January 2023
Sloths are an example of some of the animals you can find in the rainforest. Learn
more fun sloth facts for kids here.
What are sloths?
Sloths are tree-dwelling mammals that originate from tropical rainforests in
Central and South America. They’re known for their sedentary lifestyle, as sloths
spend around 15 hours sleeping each day. The rest of their time’s spent eating,
travelling from tree to tree and hiding from predators. Surprisingly, sloths are
excellent swimmers and will often drop from the tree-tops into the water for a
swim.
Sloths can belong to either the two-toed or three-toed family, depending on the
number of claws they have on their front paws. This makes their family names
misleading. All sloths have three toes on their back paws.
Although there are two sloth families, there are six sloth species and these are:
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Pygmy three-toed sloth, which is endangered
Maned sloth, which is vulnerable
Pale-throated sloth
Brown-throated sloths are one of the most common mammals found in Central
and South American rainforests
Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth
Hoffman’s two-toed sloth
There are extinct sloths, too. The illustration below is of one of the extinct ground
sloths. This was a big group of animals. The giant ground sloth, Megatherium,
was one of the largest land mammals to have ever existed, up to 6 metres tall
and over 4 tonnes!
Where do sloths live?
Sloth habitats range across Central and South America. They spend their lives in
the tropical rainforests in these regions. The more consistent the rainfall and
denser the trees, the better for sloths. Let’s look at two examples:
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The maned Three-toed sloth lives in wet, tropical forested lands on the
coast of Brazil. They like to live in around 21 species of tree. These sloths
have been found as high up as 1,290 metres above sea level.
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Hoffmann’s Two-toed sloth habitats span the forest, shrubland and
grassland of Peru, Bolivia and the west coast of Ecuador; Panama and
Costa Rica. They have been found 3,300 metres above sea level! Like the
maned Three-toed sloth, they prefer forests which receive high annual
rainfall without much of a dry season.
Three-toed Sloth Habitats:
There are four species of three-toed sloths. These are the pygmy three-toed
sloth; the maned three-toed sloth; the pale-throated three-toed sloth and
the brown-throated three-toed sloth.
The three-toed sloth's habitats can be found in the high canopies of the
rainforests of Central and South America - or, sometimes, in sources of water
such as rivers.
While some three-toed sloth, for example, the brown-throated three-toed sloth,
live in a range of habitats - from rainforests to semi-deciduous forests and
subtropical lowlands to swamps - others live in a very narrow range, like the
pygmy three-toed sloth. They are restricted to an island off the Caribbean coast
of Panama.
Put your knowledge of Sloths to the test with this fun episode of "Did You Know?"
Quiz for Kids!
Sloths are a Habitat Themself!
That’s right, sloths are a habitat themselves. As well as algae and fungi, their
long, thick hair can be home to over 900 moths and beetles at once! There is
even a type of moth, the sloth moth, which is found nowhere else on earth.
Keep it chill like a sloth with this fun song from Twinkl Kids TV!
14 Fun Sloth Facts for Kids:
1. Sloths have a slow metabolic rate, making them move slowly as they travel. In
fact, they’re so slow that they don’t often travel more than half the length of a
football field each day!
2. Sloths move so slowly that algae and fungi have time to land and grow on them!
This is a good thing because their greenish tinge helps sloths to camouflage.
Also, the type of algae and fungi that grows on their hair protects them from
parasites and bacteria.
3. Being slow has its advantages against predators, who have keen eyesight and
hearing, designed to seek out prey on the move. As sloths move slowly and are
high up, off the ground, they can often avoid being hunted.
4. Baby sloths travel on their mothers for approximately 6 months. During this time
they learn how to eat and move between tree-tops. After 6 months, they’re able
to communicate with their mother by calling out to each other.
5. Sloths travel from the treetops to the forest floor once a week to get rid of waste
from their bodies. Incredibly, they only do this once a week because being on the
forest floor exposes them to predators, which they’re unable to fight off. This is
why sloths prefer to spend time high-up in the rainforest canopy.
6. Eating twigs, buds and leaves can be tough, especially as sloths don’t have
incisors. They have to use their tough lips to break down their food before
attempting to swallow it. Digesting it can take time, too!
7. Sloths have an incredible scent of smell. They use this to help them move around
the trees, find food and also find a mate.
8. Because sloths are colour-blind, their sense of smell and slow movement helps
them to take in their habitat. Staying in the shade and being active at night also
helps them too.
9. Onw of the most impressive sloth facts for kids: although sloths can’t move their
eyes, they can rotate their head 270 degrees, which is handy when swimming!
10. Not all sloths are endangered but many are facing losing their natural habitats
because of deforestation in Central and Southern America. All six species of sloth
need healthy forests to survive and the more forests that are destroyed, the
harder it is for them to survive.
11. There are two different kinds of sloths - two-toed and three-toed. This name is
somewhat misleading, however, as the number relates to how many claws they
have on each front foot, or hand. Their long claws anchor them to branches and
let them hang with ease and very little effort.
12. Sloths are very strong swimmers. They use their long arms to move through the
water - in rivers like the Amazon. They can move about three times as quickly
through the water as they can over land.
13. Sloths are completely blind in bright daylight. Staying in the shady canopy and
being active at night helps them to see more clearly.
14. They sleep for around 15 hours each day. This leaves nine hours to wind their
way through the trees and munch on leaves.
What are baby sloths called?
Baby sloths are called cubs. Sloth mothers give birth to cubs about once a year.
They are mammals, so they carry their baby for six months. After this time, the
baby will literally cling to their mother for another six to nine months, learning all
about how to be a sloth. After this time, the infant leaves. They’ll still keep in touch
with their mother through calls that echo through the canopy.
How do sloths stay warm?
This is a big question. Researchers are still trying to understand how sloths
maintain their metabolism and temperature!
What we do know is that two-toed sloths have the most variable body
temperature
of
any
mammal!
Their body temperature can range from 22 to 33 degrees Celsius. This means
their bodies are stable within a wider range of limits compared to other mammals
like humans.
This makes sloths unique. Usually, mammals are able to regulate their body
temperature within a narrow range. They expend energy to shiver when it’s cold,
for example, to maintain their body temperature.
Sloths don’t have a lot of energy, and so they don’t regulate their temperatures in
the same way. Instead, they do things like move in and out of shade. This is a bit
like what reptiles do. Moving to places where it’s warm and cool helps them
maintain their body temperature.
Sloths even use less energy when it’s hot! This is unique in the animal kingdom.
They move somewhere cool and sleep without having to use energy to cool
themselves down.
How can I learn more about sloths?
As well as these fun sloth facts for kids, you can find out more about the wonderful
world of sloths by watching this video with your child.
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