Sloths are tree-dwelling tropical mammals of Central and South America. They live in the rainforest canopy and are known for their slow and deliberate movements. Sloths have an exceptionally low metabolic rate and spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. It’s a survival strategy that works. Sloths compensate for their low-energy, leaf-based diet by adopting a slow-paced lifestyle and expending as little energy as possible.
Sloths are an integral part of tropical rain forest ecosystems. Most sloths are listed as least concern on the IUCN redlist of threatened species. But threats in the form of some of the habitat loss and fragmentation and the illegal wildlife trade still exist.
