Follow us on:
  • About
    • History
    • Collections
    • Uses
    • Meet the staff
    • Curator
  • On Display
    • Floor plan
    • Animal finder >
      • By Location
      • By Animal group >
        • Vertebrates
        • Invertebrates
    • Keys and information sheets >
      • Evolution and adaptation
      • Taxonomy
      • Diet
      • Social organisation and mating system
      • Ecosystems and habitats
  • Activities
  • Visit us
    • Tours
    • School visits
    • Find us
    • Get involved
  • Get in touch
    • Visitor feedback

Three toed sloth

Bradypus tridactylus


Where is it found?

Picture
Coastal forests

Diet and foraging method

Picture
They use their forearms to bring branches close to their mouths to more easily reach leaves to eat. 
Picture
Picture

Key adaptations

The Sloths diet doesn’t provide it with much energy, so they can only move very slowly. Therefore, instead of running from predators they use camouflage. Their hair collects algae making them appear green, they then stay still all day, blending in to the environment.
They have strong hook-like claws that help them climb and grip onto branches.They have long, grey hairs that point downwards when the sloths are hanging upside down, which ensures that rainwater runs off their fur easily.

Social organisation and mating system

Picture
Solitary
Picture
Polygynous

Did you know that...?

Three-toed Sloths spend most of their time hanging from trees, but once or twice a week they come down to the ground to excrete or move tree.

Taxonomy

Picture

Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Bradypus tridactylus -Parque del Este, Caracas, Venezuela-8" by Fernando Flores - Pale-throated sloth | Perezoso de tres dedos (Bradypus tridactylus)Uploaded by snowmanradio. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradypus_tridactylus_-Parque_del_Este,_Caracas,_Venezuela-8.jpg#/media/File:Bradypus_tridactylus_-Parque_del_Este,_Caracas,_Venezuela-8.jpg
"Bradypus tridactylus -Parque del Este, Caracas, Venezuela-8 (2)" by Fernando Flores - Pale-throated sloth | Perezoso de tres dedos (Bradypus tridactylus)Uploaded by snowmanradio. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bradypus_tridactylus_-Parque_del_Este,_Caracas,_Venezuela-8_(2).jpg#/media/File:Bradypus_tridactylus_-Parque_del_Este,_Caracas,_Venezuela-8_(2).jpg
"Ai-drawing". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ai-drawing.jpg#/media/File:Ai-drawing.jpg

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.