Sloths Aren't Just Slow! Here Are 4 Things I Bet You Didn't Know

I find sloths so funny. I never understood how they survived when they moved so painstakingly slowly. When imagining a sloth, I just picture that scene from Zootopia, where the sloth is the DMV worker. Outside of their slow movements, I really didn't know much about this animal. That was until I began looking into them, and let me tell you, they are truly fascinating. Sloths aren't just slow. Here are four things I bet you didn't know about them.

1. Sloths Are 3x Stronger Than You

It's okay, don't be offended. Regardless of how much time you spend pumping iron in the gym, the slowest mammal on Earth has got you beat. These animals can lift their entire body weight with just one arm from the moment they are born. Can you imagine a human baby trying to do that? The Sloth Conservation Foundation also shares, "They have a highly specialized muscle arrangement that can produce enough strength to withstand the force of a jaguar trying to rip them from the tree." That is a lot of muscle strength.

2. They Have Some Bizarre Bathroom Habits

Add this to the list of things you didn't know about sloths, and maybe something you didn't want to know. They have some interesting, yet bizarre bathroom habits. For example, did you know these guys will only go to the bathroom once a week? Perhaps the infrequency is why they can "lose up to a third of their body weight" in one bathroom session. If you hold it in all week, a lot will come out. However, that is not the only weird part about their bathroom behavior. Sloths will also only go to the bathroom on the ground after they dig a little hole at the base of a tree. Bizarre, I know. Scientists have not figured out exactly why sloths do this, but many emerging theories exist.

3. Sloths Are Surprisingly Good Swimmers

I don't know why I never imagined a sloth swimming, but I didn't. It is probably because they spend most of their time in the trees. Additionally, given how slowly they moved on land, I assumed they would also be that slow in the water. However, that is not the case. Instead, sloths can swim through the water three times faster than they can move on the ground." Not only that, but they have two more neck vertebrae than any other mammal, which allows them to keep their nose above the water effortlessly.

4. They Can Starve To Death On A Full Stomach

I guarantee this was something you didn't know about sloths. It doesn't make sense. How can something starve to death when its stomach is full? The Sloth Conservation Foundation has the answer. Unlike many other mammals, sloths lack the ability to regulate and control their body temperature. It is a skill that they gave up in order to save energy. Therefore, these mammals are entirely reliant on the weather and environmental conditions to maintain their core temperatures. So, sloths do not like the cold. If the temperatures drop too low, "the special microbes that live in their stomachs can die, and the sloth can no longer digest the leaves that it eats." Therefore, even if the food is in the stomach, it won't be digested, so the body will not get the necessary nutrients, and it can starve.

 

Did you know any of these incredible facts? Try testing your knowledge about elephants next!