Bradypus sloth

The SLOTH is one of the most friendly and peaceful animals of the Atlantic Forest. It sleeps about 15 hours a day and only comes down from the trees once a week for physiological needs. As incredible as it may seem, it is a good swimmer, moving with agility in the water. It feeds on leaves, fruits and buds of trees, mainly the embaúba species. Sloths do not drink water, as enough for their survival is already absorbed in food. As they are extremely slow, sloths do not run away from their predators, but they know how to camouflage themselves very well among the trees. In addition, they can rotate their head up to 270 degrees, which allows them to see everything around them better. The color of its coat is grayish. Males are distinguished from females by a black and yellow dorsal spot. In reproduction, the female has only one young per calf. They can live up to 40 years. The wooded grasslands of South America were once home to the giant sloth that could measure over 6 meters in length and weigh about the same as an elephant. The reason for their extinction is still a matter of debate: both climate change reduced the area suitable for their survival, and the expansion of hunting Homo sapiens may have been a decisive factor in their disappearance.