Sloth Hanging on a Tree Branch Coloring Page: PDF Sheet

The Slow and Sleepy World of Sloths

Why the Sloth Moves So Slowly

The sloth is the slowest mammal on Earth, creeping along at about a tenth of a mile per hour, so slow that it would take an entire day to travel a distance a person could walk in a few minutes. This gentle pace comes from an unusually slow metabolism and a leafy diet that gives very little energy. To save that energy a sloth may sleep or rest for fifteen to twenty hours a day, moving only when it must.

Hanging upside down, the way the sloth does in this scene, is the sloth's natural resting posture. Special curved claws hook over a branch and lock into place so the animal can dangle for hours, or even sleep, without gripping hard or falling. Its internal organs are actually attached in a way that keeps them from pressing on its lungs while it hangs, an adaptation few other animals share.

Two Toes, Three Toes, and a Long Neck

Sloths come in two main groups: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. The three-toed sloth, like the smiling one here, has three long claws on each front limb and a short stubby tail. Three-toed sloths also have extra bones in their necks, up to nine vertebrae compared with the seven found in almost all mammals, which lets them turn their heads nearly all the way around to watch for danger without moving their bodies.

Those big hooked claws make walking on the ground clumsy, but they turn a sloth into a surprisingly strong swimmer. Sloths can drop into a river and paddle with a slow breaststroke, sometimes moving faster in water than they ever do in the trees, and they can hold their breath for many minutes by slowing their heart rate.

A Tiny Rainforest Living in the Fur

A sloth's shaggy coat is its own little ecosystem. The grooved hairs collect rainwater and grow a thin layer of green algae, which helps the animal blend into the leafy canopy. Tiny moths and beetles live in that fur too, and scientists think the algae may even give the sloth an extra snack when it grooms. This greenish camouflage helps hide sloths from eagles and big cats that hunt from above.

About once a week a sloth makes a slow, risky trip down to the base of its tree to go to the bathroom, then climbs back up. It is one of the few times a sloth leaves the safety of the branches, and researchers still study why these careful animals bother to come all the way down instead of simply going from up high.

Sloths in the Rainforest Canopy

Sloths live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, spending almost their whole lives high in the trees. They feed mostly on leaves, buds, and tender shoots, and their four-part stomach can take up to a month to digest a single meal. A sloth may have one favorite tree it returns to again and again, treating the canopy as both its pantry and its bed.

Because they depend so completely on forest, sloths are a reminder of how important healthy rainforests are. When large areas of trees are cleared, sloths lose the connected branches they need to move safely and find food. Their calm, unhurried life in the treetops has made them one of the most beloved animals in the world, and a favorite subject for gentle, easy coloring scenes like this one.