Linne's two-toed sloth

Linne's Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus didactylus

CLASS Mammalia | ORDER Pilosa | FAMILY Megalonychidae

RANGE Areas east of the Andes in Columbia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru and northern Brazil

HABITAT Tropical forest tree canopies

DIET Leaves, shoots, fruits

Weight
12 - 20 lbs

Length
24 - 30 in

Gestation
5 - 6 months

Young
1

IUCN Status
Least Concern
Linne's two-toed sloth

Sloths are arboreal (tree-dwellers). They spend almost their entire lives hanging upside down in trees. They eat, sleep, mate, and even give birth in an upside down position. They may sleep as many as 20 hours a day.

The Linne's two-toed sloth has two long claws on the front feet, and three on the hind feet. They are hard to spot high in the tree canopies. Their specialized hair encourages algae growth, which aids in camouflaging them.

Linne's two-toed sloth

They are physically unable to walk. They have to crawl from one spot to the other when they decend to the ground.

Because of their slow metabolism, it is necessary for sloths to defecate and urinate only once a week.

Linne's two-toed sloth

There are currently no major threats to this species. Since Linne's two-toed sloths are usually found high in the canopy, motionless and virtually invisible, they are not as commonly hunted as armadillos or tamanduas. There are also taboos against their consumption by some native groups.