A Sloth Treats A Dude

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent.It feeds on fruits, ants and termites.It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation. Sloth fur is the perfect moist environment for algae to grow, so it does, giving the sloth a greenish tint that, combined with the sloth’s super slow movement, makes the sloth camouflaged.

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Sloth, (suborder Phyllophaga), tree-dwelling mammal noted for its slowness of movement. All five living species are limited to the lowland tropical forests of South and Central America, where they can be found high in the forest canopy sunning, resting, or feeding on leaves. Although two-toed sloths (family Megalonychidae) are capable of climbing and positioning themselves vertically, they spend almost all of their time hanging horizontally, using their large hooklike extremities to move along branches and vines. Three-toed sloths (family Bradypodidae) move in the same way but often sit in the forks of trees rather than hanging from branches.

What kind of animal is a sloth?

Sloths are mammals. They are part of the order Pilosa, which is also home to anteaters. Together with armadillos, sloths and anteaters form the magnorder Xenarthra.

How many types of sloths are there?

A total of five species of sloths exist: the pygmy three-toed sloth, the maned sloth, the pale-throated three-toed sloth, the brown-throated three-toed sloth, and Linnaeus's two-toed sloth. All sloths are either two-toed or three-toed.

Where do sloths live?

Sloths live in the lowland tropical areas of South and Central America. They spend most of their life in the forest canopy. Two-toed sloths tend to hang horizontally from branches, while three-toed sloths often sit in the forks of trees.

What do sloths eat?

Sloths are omnivores. Because they spend most of their time in trees, they like to munch on leaves, twigs, flowers, and other foliage, though some species may eat insects and other small animals.

Why are sloths so slow?

Sloths are slow because of their diet and metabolic rate. They eat a low-calorie diet consisting exclusively of plants, and they metabolize at a rate that is only 40–45 percent of what is expected for mammals of their weight. Sloths must move slowly to conserve energy.

Sloths have long legs, stumpy tails, and rounded heads with inconspicuous ears. Although they possess colour vision, sloths’ eyesight and hearing are not very acute; orientation is mainly by touch. The limbs are adapted for suspending the body rather than supporting it. As a result, sloths are completely helpless on the ground unless there is something to grasp. Even then, they are able only to drag themselves along with their claws. They are surprisingly good swimmers. Generally nocturnal, sloths are solitary and are aggressive toward others of the same sex.

Sloths have large multichambered stomachs and an ability to tolerate strong chemicals from the foliage they eat. The leafy food is digested slowly; a fermenting meal may take up to a week to process. The stomach is constantly filled, its contents making up about 30 percent of the sloth’s weight. Sloths descend to the ground at approximately six-day intervals to urinate and defecate (see Sidebar: A moving habitat). Physiologically, sloths are heterothermic—that is, they have imperfect control over their body temperature. Normally ranging between 25 and 35 °C (77 and 95 °F), body temperature may drop to as low as 20 °C (68 °F). At this temperature the animals become torpid. Although heterothermicity makes sloths very sensitive to temperature change, they have thick skin and are able to withstand severe injuries.

All sloths were formerly classified in the same family (Bradypodidae), but two-toed sloths have been found to be so different from three-toed sloths that they are now classified in a separate family (Megalonychidae).

Three-toed sloths

The three-toed sloth (family Bradypodidae) is also called the ai in Latin America because of the high-pitched cry it produces when agitated. All four species belong to the same genus, Bradypus, and the coloration of their short facial hair bestows them with a perpetually smiling expression. The brown-throated three-toed sloth (B. variegatus) occurs in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina; the pale-throated three-toed sloth (B. tridactylus) is found in northern South America; the maned sloth (B. torquatus) is restricted to the small Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil; and the pygmy three-toed sloth (B. pygmaeus) inhabits the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, a small Caribbean island off the northwestern coast of Panama.

Although most mammals have seven neck vertebrae, three-toed sloths have eight or nine, which permits them to turn their heads through a 270° arc. The teeth are simple pegs, and the upper front pair are smaller than the others; incisor and true canine teeth are lacking. Adults weigh only about 4 kg (8.8 pounds), and the young weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 pounds), possibly as little as 150–250 grams (about 5–9 ounces) at birth. (The birth weight of B. torquatus, for example, is only 300 grams [about 11 ounces].) The head and body length of three-toed sloths averages 58 cm (23 inches), and the tail is short, round, and movable. The forelimbs are 50 percent longer than the hind limbs; all four feet have three long, curved sharp claws. Sloths’ coloration makes them difficult to spot, even though they are very common in some areas. The outer layer of shaggy long hair is pale brown to gray and covers a short, dense coat of black-and-white underfur. The outer hairs have many cracks, perhaps caused by the algae living there. The algae give the animals a greenish tinge, especially during the rainy season. Sexes look alike in the maned sloth, but in the other species males have a large patch (speculum) in the middle of the back that lacks overhair, thus revealing the black dorsal stripe and bordering white underfur, which is sometimes stained yellow to orange. The maned sloth gets its name from the long black hair on the back of its head and neck.

Three-toed sloths, although mainly nocturnal, may be active day or night but spend only about 10 percent of their time moving at all. They sleep either perched in the fork of a tree or hanging from a branch, with all four feet bunched together and the head tucked in on the chest. In this posture the sloth resembles a clump of dead leaves, so inconspicuous that it was once thought these animals ate only the leaves of cecropia trees because in other trees it went undetected. Research has since shown that they eat the foliage of a wide variety of other trees and vines. Locating food by touch and smell, the sloth feeds by hooking a branch with its claws and pulling it to its mouth. Sloths’ slow movements and mainly nocturnal habits generally do not attract the attention of predators such as jaguars and harpy eagles. Normally, three-toed sloths are silent and docile, but if disturbed they can strike out furiously with the sharp foreclaws.

Reproduction is seasonal in the brown- and pale-throated species; the maned sloth may breed throughout the year. Reproduction in pygmy three-toed sloths, however, has not yet been observed. A single young is born after less than six months’ gestation. Newborn sloths cling to the mother’s abdomen and remain with the mother until at least five months of age. Three-toed sloths are so difficult to maintain in captivity that little is known about their breeding behaviour and other aspects of their life history.

Read the conclusion of the story about Perry and new baby Sydney!

Perry is now able to crawl around…

It’s been a few weeks since the feeding tube was removed and Perry is thriving! She has regained strength and energy, allowing her to eat better and get great exercise. Though she is not nearly as graceful as before, she can flop her arms and limbs over the bar or branches, showing her willingness to climb again. Last week, for the first time since she got sick, she was able to scratch her head with her foot successfully! We are seeing Perry improve a bit more with each passing day. Getting regular practice at her jungle gym at Dr. Ford’s house, she is more eager to play and crawl outside. Though she is not able to climb trees solely on her own, with extensive therapy we anticipate she could be back to normal in due time.

Baby Sydney is a happy, healthy little guy...

With so much concern surrounding Perry and her health condition, it was natural for all of us to worry if baby Sydney would be okay. All new babies crave the nurture and care of their mom, but because Perry had been unable to give full attention to Sydney, we were concerned about how that would affect Sydney’s own growth and progress. However, he has never had any issues! Not only has he been surrounded with oodles of love from the staff and the medical team, but Dr. Ford also made sure that Sydney got plenty of one on one time with Mom whenever they had the chance! He became very attached to Dr. Ford and her husband while living with them, and was spoiled with lots of toys and treats during mom Perry’s recovery.

Perry is doing great with her water therapy!

A few weeks ago, Perry began her water therapy sessions at the Sierra Ranch Pet Rehab center in Roseville, California. We made sure to make a special trip to Folsom just to be there for Perry’s first appointment and we were joined by the film crew for our new reality TV show Fishy Bidness! Set to premiere Friday, November 10th on YouTube, Fishy Bidness! Got to see all of Perry’s recovery. Perry did great! The staff at the rehab center did a thorough evaluation of her case and created a custom therapy plan for Perry. These sessions have helped Perry improve both mobility and muscle movement. Now that Perry is on the path to a full recovery, she and Sydney have been able to return to her SeaQuest home exhibit, where she will get to visit with guests and visitors again very soon! Visit the SeaQuest Folsom website for times and availability to have a special encounter with Perry and baby Sydney!

Stay Tuned for the Exclusive story on Perry and Sydney!

Our new reality show Fishy Bidness! Will feature a three-part series on Perry’s journey. Make sure to follow our SeaQuest Folsom Facebook page for updates on series news and episode premieres.

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