Sloths move slowly due to their leafy diet that doesn’t provide the proper number of calories needed for an animal of the sloth’s size and strength.īy moving slowly, sloths are able to conserve how much energy they’re using. Poaching has caused intense stress for sloths, causing them to fall into the hands of ill-intentioned humans and patient predators watching the humans hunt.Īlthough the fate of sloths has been called into question, organizations such as The Sloth Conservation Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance have stepped up to limit the amount of habitat loss and poaching. In the wild, a sloth can live for around 20 years. Instead, these wild sloths are finding themselves becoming pets for untrained and unqualified owners. Since sloths are incredibly slow, there is no way for them to outrun the humans who want to hunt or capture them to be sold as pets.Ī majority of the sloths that are poached aren’t hunted for their meat because sloth isn’t a popular meal. Since sloths are anti-social creatures that rely on their small numbers to keep attention off their hiding spots, fewer trees mean fewer sloths.Īlthough sloths have been losing their rainforest homes for decades, the more recent problem for sloths has been the illegal pet trade that operates on a global level. Without plenty of trees, wild sloths are unable to hide from the predators that soar through the sky and walk the jungle floor. The only way sloths are able to survive in the wild is by relying on the lush trees of rainforests for protection and as a constant food source. These areas have been slowly destroyed for generations in the name of creating farmland and logging. Yes, there are two endangered species of sloths out of the six different species of sloths that are currently living on the planet.īetween a loss of habitat and intense poaching caused by the illegal pet trade, the pygmy three-toed sloth and the maned three-toed sloth populations are both suffering.Ī majority of sloths live in the rainforests of South and Central America. Sloths are adorable creatures to view from a distance, but they shouldn’t be underestimated. Once these animals reach their independence age of 18 months old, sloths become less social and more likely to attack. Sloths may seem too slow to do any damage or too gentle to want to be aggressive, but sloths are still powerful wild animals. When a sloth is afraid or feels that danger may be near, they completely freeze up. Sloths are much stronger than human beings.Įven though they are vastly smaller, humans only have a third of the strength of these tree-hugging creatures.Īnother factor that makes sloths so dangerous is the fact that it is nearly impossible to read their body language for signs of distress. Not only do sloths come with incredibly strong jaws, but their entire body is also composed of powerful muscles. To defend themselves, sloths will use their massive teeth and powerful jaws to easily bite through a human being’s hand. Nothing about a sloth’s normal life gives social interactions a positive connotation in the minds of wild sloths. Sloths are considered to be prey animals, which is why having a human being walk up to them slowly and stare them down makes these animals feel threatened. If wild sloths were to be social animals that need to be around other animals, it would only increase their chances of being attacked by one of their predators like the harpy eagle. Sloths have an evolutionary desire to remain alone for the majority of the time, with the only exception occurring during mating season. Yes, sloths can be dangerous when they are provoked.Īlthough they may seem gentle and sweet, sloths have the potential to attack at any moment and have not been properly domesticated like dogs, cats, or horses. These jungle dwellers spend their days eating, sleeping, and occasionally coming down to the jungle floor when they need to use the restroom.Īlthough sloths have been deemed so lazy that their name has become synonymous with being lazy, they are still wild animals that could become frightened and attack at any moment. Sloths are a common favorite animal thanks to their generally relaxed nature, their adorably flat faces, and their long, branch-like arms.
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