| type | Status | Habitat |
 |
 |
 |
|
MAMMALS |
STABLE |
CENTRAL AMERICA |
 Sloths the tree-dwellers of Central and South America-spend their lives in the tropical rain forests. |
 Leaves, stems, buds, fruit |
|
The reason sloths move so slowly has a lot to do with what they eat: a variety of leaves, stems, buds, and some fruit. This kind of diet requires a special digestive system. Sloths have a large, four-chambered stomach, like a cow.
A sloth's claws are handy for hanging onto tree branches but make walking on the ground hard. But sloths are great swimmers and can drop from a tree into a river to swim across it while doing the breaststroke! When sleeping, sloths often curl up in a ball in the fork of a tree.
The two-toed sloth, a nocturnal animal that lives in trees in Central and South America, lives at its own pace-a slow one! Using its long, sharp claws, the sloth makes its way through the branches hanging upside down. What a funny view!