Monday, October 19, 2015

#703: Sloth

The Sloth lives life slowly. There are six species, divided into three-toed and two-toed. Like their relatives, the Anteaters, the Sloth has highly specialised claws. These act as hooks, and will hold him onto the tree branch, even if he is shot from below. The Sloth's diet constists mostly of leaves, which are low energy and are difficult to digest - hence one reason why he is noted for being somewhat lethargic. As much as two-thirds of his body weight can be undigested food - and this can take over a month for his stomach to process. His sluggish nature also permits him to avoid predation, since he is also well camouflaged. Once a week he descends his tree to defecate in the same spot, digging a hole and covering it afterwards.

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