10 Cool Facts about Sloth for Kids

It is very important for children to know about Animals, their habitats and the natural environment in general.  This helps kids in understanding, how they are part of a larger natural environment and they will grow into conscious adults who will play an active part in conserving the environment

 

Here are some cool facts about Sloths

 

  1. Sloths live in the tropical forests of South and Central America. While in looks, they resemble monkeys, they are actually related to the anteaters. They gave a furry exterior, in fact a lot of algae grows in their furs. This algae helps them camouflage among the green trees of the tropical forests.
  2. There are two types of sloths Two – toed and three – toed ones. Two Toed Sloths are slightly bigger and spend more time on trees that their three toes relatives.
  3. Sloths are so named because of their slow and deliberate movements. In fact they move a total of 37 meters on an average everyday.
  4. Sloths have the lowest metabolic rate amongst mammals. They take almost 30 days to even digest a leaf! This also explains their slow movements
  5. Number 2 is a big deal for the sloths. They have to descend tress to go and take a long time. It is dangerous because many predators lurk closer to the ground. It is a good thing they need to go only once a week J.
  6. Sloths spend a lot of time on trees. In fact they can even sleep, while hanging from a tree. Talk about pull up championships!!
  7. Sloths completely lack cone cells in their eyes, which means they see very poorly in dim light, cant see at all in bright light and are color blind. So, how do they manage? They have an incredibly good sense of smell and have a good spatial memory
  8. Sloths can fall from 100 feet ( 10 storeys almost) and not injure themselves.  In fact, they fall once a week atleast. They often fight with themselves, and during this process they tend to fall down.
  9. Today’s Sloths had giant ancestor Sloth brothers.  The present day sloths can grow up to the size of a dog. But their ancestor brothers known as  Giant Ground sloths could grow up to the size of an elephant.  Giant Ground sloths became extinct about 10,000 years ago. It is believed that
  10. Sloths are great swimmers. They are three times faster on water than on land. They have the capacity to slow down their hear beat, therefore can hold their breath for longer underwater

 

At Ekdali, we have built Creative Brain Animal Flash cards for kids.  The above illustration is part of the  Flash Card set – You may but them here - Creative Brain Flashcards

References:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77099/10-big-facts-about-giant-ground-sloths

https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/news/10-facts-about-sloths-natures-slowest-animals

https://slothconservation.org/10-incredible-facts-about-the-sloth/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA15yNBhDTARIsAGnwe0UNB9_U4cmLWI2D-B-tO-reUM0J4jAyOoZOBd57XA2jqo4IPQuoHboaAprPEALw_wcB


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