17 amazing facts about sloths - idle and magnificent (17 photos)

Did you know that sloths only sleep about ten hours a day? And that they can swim? There's a lot you still don't know about these adorable animals!







Although sloths have a reputation for being lazy and slow, they only sleep about ten hours a day.





Their predators include eagles, snakes, and jaguars, but sloths are well protected because they spend most of their time in trees.



Sloths can have two or three toes—two-toed ones are slightly larger.



Their diet consists mainly of leaves, which is not very nutritious. This is why sloths move so slowly—to conserve energy.



When a female is ready to breed, she lets out a call. Nearby males follow this call.



Baby sloths hang on their mother's stomach for the first couple of weeks after birth, and then remain close to their mother for up to four years.



Sloths have algae growing in their fur, which helps them camouflage themselves from predators.



Sloths only come down from trees to relieve themselves—and they always go to the same place. This happens once a week.



Sloths are arboreal animals, meaning they spend almost their entire lives in trees.



Sloths live in the tropical forests of Central and South America.



Three-toed sloths can turn their heads almost 360 degrees!



Despite their resemblance to monkeys, sloths are related to anteaters and armadillos.



The pygmy three-toed sloth is an endangered species found only on the small island of Escudo de Veraguas off the coast of Panama.



Two-toed sloths are nocturnal, while three-toed sloths are diurnal.



Extinct sloth species were the size of elephants!



Sloths have a very slow digestive system; the digestion process can sometimes take up to a month.



Sloths are amazingly good swimmers. Just look at this little one!