sloths spend most of their time in rainforests of south america.
sloths spend most of their time in rainforests of south america.
where do sloths spend most of their time?
rainforests of south america
two-toed sloths spend most of their time in trees, though they may travel on the ground to move to a new tree. a study of sloths on barro colorado island indicated that the hoffmann's two-toed sloths there were almost exclusively nocturnal, even though in other locations they are known to be active during day. the authors attributed this in part to competition with the brown-throated sloth. they often move slowly through the canopy for about eight hours each night, and spend much of the day sleeping in tangles of lianas. they move only very slowly, typically at around , although they can move up to 50% faster when excited. they are solitary in the wild, and, aside from mothers with young, it is unusual for two to be found in a tree at the same time.
hoffmann's two-toed sloth
the outer hairs of sloth fur grow in a direction opposite from that of other mammals. in most mammals, hairs grow toward the extremities, but because sloths spend so much time with their limbs above their bodies, their hairs grow away from the extremities to provide protection from the elements while they hang upside down. in most conditions, the fur hosts symbiotic algae, which provide camouflage from predatory jaguars, ocelots, and harpy eagles. because of the algae, sloth fur is a small ecosystem of its own, hosting many species of commensal and parasitic arthropods. there are a large number of arthropods associated with sloths. these include biting and blood-sucking flies such as mosquitoes and sandflies, triatomine bugs, lice, ticks and mites. sloths have a highly specific community of commensal beetles, mites and moths. species of sloths recorded to host arthropods include: the pale-throated sloth, the brown-throated sloth, and linnaeus's two-toed sloth. incidentally, it appears that sloths benefit from their relationship with moths because the moths are responsible for fertilizing algae on the sloth, which provides them with nutrients.
sloth