Animals are sloths. Why are they called that?

The heroes of this article will be very funny creatures - animal sloths. They are common only in South America. They liked the wet forests. Surprisingly, almost all his life this animal carries upside down. With four limbs, he clings to a thick branch and stops for a long time on it. The agility with which he is able to move in this position is startling.

Sloth is an animal, most of whose life passes in a dream. Probably, that's why he got that name. It is more active at night. The brownish-green color of this mammal makes it almost invisible in trees during the daytime.

Description of the sloth

Sloth is an animal relatively small. The length of his body does not exceed 70 centimeters, and weight - 8 kilograms. Outwardly, these animals resemble monkeys a little, but, unlike primates, sloths most often move in a suspended state and lead a secluded way of life in tree crowns at high altitudes (30-40 meters).

The fingers of these animals are so tenacious that they allow them to hold on to the branches very tightly. They sleep upside down. The tail of the sloths, unlike the monkeys, is short and completely covered with wool. The animal has a rather thick fur. It almost completely closes small eyes and ears. The muzzle is created by nature so that it gives the impression that the animal constantly smiles. For those who are interested in which group of animals the sloth belongs, we inform him that he belongs to the group of incomplete teeth.

These funny animals, despite the sluggishness, can swim perfectly, developing a speed under water up to 5 km / h. True, this skill is used very rarely.

Types of sloths

There are several types:

• Three-toed.
• Brown-haired.
• Two-fingered.
• Collar.
• Dwarf.

They all have two or three fingers. In this regard, more often they are classified into two groups - two-toed and three-toed sloths. Despite the existing small differences, all sloths are very similar to each other. An interesting fact: scientists claim that in remote antiquity the distant ancestors of sloths were the size of an elephant, but like other giants, they died out about 12 thousand years ago.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The basis of the diet of sloths is tree leaves, but there is also a place for a small percentage of animal food (small lizards, insects). The microflora of the digestive tract of these sluggish animals is arranged so that the hard leaves are completely digested and absorbed by the body. The bacteria-symbionts help to speed up the process.

Animals sloths, as a rule, gorge on so that the fourth or third part of their weight is taken by the food they eat. After that, they do not eat for a while and during a month they digest the leaves eaten earlier. They are of low nutritional value and low in calories. Such food forces animals to save energy and strength. They sleep about ten hours a day, the rest of the time moves extremely slowly, if necessary, and are more often in a static state.

If they suddenly get hung up, then just turn a very mobile neck in the right direction and take out the leaf that attracted the mouth. Even the sloths of the sloths are held on a tree. They descend from it once a week to correct their natural needs. It happens so rarely, because they have a very large bladder these animals. Sloths are clean, in their "house" (on the tree) they never defecate, and their feces are buried in a hole. Descending from the tall trees, these animals perform a feat, because on earth they are completely defenseless.

Reproduction

I must admit that these are not noisy animals. Sloths three-fingered, when something is unhappy, can occasionally shout out "ay-ay" or loudly to suck. During the mating season, these cries help females and males find each other. Two-fingered sloths mate all year round, and three-fingered ones - in the spring (March-April).

Different types of pregnancy lasts from six months to a year. One cub comes to light. During childbirth the female hanging on the front paws, and the rear freely hanging down. A newborn sloth immediately grabs the mother with paws for her hair and starts looking for her breasts.

Within two years he eats mother's milk and only then gradually begins to get used to plant foods. The small sloth becomes independent on its own at the age of nine months, and is considered to be an adult in two and a half years. In captivity, up to 20 years, these animals live. Sloths live less in natural conditions.

Content in captivity

As already mentioned, the animal sloth, the photo of which we have placed in this article, feeds on the leaves of cecropia, therefore their maintenance at home is quite problematic. If you are able to provide it with this food, then you can safely settle it in your home mini-zoo.

To keep a sloth, it is desirable to allocate a separate room or arrange an angle for it, which you need to equip in a certain way. Here, artificial trees should be placed and fixed , where a sluggish animal will hang. Quite comfortably he feels himself in a hammock. Do not interfere and rope ladders.

Sloth needs a tropical microclimate, which in the house will help create an air humidifier. Always drink water in the water bowl. In summer, it is desirable to release it into an aviary on the street, so that the animal enjoys the sun's rays. Sluggish temperatures are very bad for the sloth.