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Southern Two-toed Sloth

Southern Two-toed Sloth
Scientific Name

Choloepus didactylus

Other Common Name(s)
Linné's Two-toed Sloth, Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
Body Length

46-86 cm

Body Weight

4-8 kg

Distribution
Tropical forests in Central America and northern South America, including Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil
Fun Facts

Fun Facts

  • Southern two-toed sloths have slow metabolic rates so that they can live on small quantities of food, which consists of mainly vegetation. Digestion takes nearly a month and they discharge body waste only once a week. Being nocturnal, they move very slowly and sleep for more than 15 hours during the day.

  • Southern two-toed sloths live an upside-down life hanging from tree branches high up in the canopy. They maintain this position even when they eat, sleep or breed. They only come down to the ground for defecation or reaching another tree.

Threats & Conservation

IUCN Red List: Least Concern
IUCN Red List: Least Concern

As southern two-toed sloths spend their life in trees, logging in rainforests destroys their habitats. As the forests retreat, these sloths are more exposed to illegal poaching.

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