Download PYGMY THREE-TOED SLOTH

WEAR IT WILD
PYGMY THREE-TOED SLOTH
Hi, I am the pygmy three-toed sloth. I am known for moving incredibly slow and spending
most of my time sleeping in trees. Read on to discover more interesting facts about me.
Where
I live
I live in a tiny area of red mangrove
forests on Isla Escudo de Veraguas,
Panama. These forests surround the
island at near sea level.
CHARACTERISTICS
MY FAMILY
• I have blotchy, pale grey-brown fur and a tancoloured face with a distinctive dark band across
my forehead.
A male sloth usually stays in the
same patch of trees for his entire
life, but female sloths move after
giving birth, leaving her tree to
the offspring.
• My long, shaggy hair that hangs over the face,
gives me a hooded appearance.
• I weigh 2.5-3.5kg.
• I move through the canopy of the forest very slowly,
at a rate of about 35 meters per day.
Panama
DID YOU KNOW
Watch footage of me:
• arkive.org/pygmy-three-toed-sloth/bradypuspygmaeus/video-00.html
• arkive.org/pygmy-three-toed-sloth/bradypuspygmaeus/video-08.html
• arkive.org/pygmy-three-toed-sloth/bradypuspygmaeus/video-06.html
© Bill Hatcher/National Geographic Creative/Corbis
I have unusual means of camouflage to
avoid predation; my outer fur is often
coated in green algae, which helps hide
me in my forest habitat.
VIDEO
FEEDING
NOT
likeEVALUATED
to eat the
• I am a herbivore and
leaves of red mangrove trees.
NE
DATA
LEAST
NEAR
leaves
of a variety
of trees,
but mainly VULNERABLE
DEFICIENT
CONCERN
THREATENED
DD
LC
NT
VU
ENDANGERED
EN
• I munch on leaves, twigs and buds.
DID YOU KNOW
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
CR
EW
EX
I have a very low metabolic rate and many
spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping!
CLASSIFICATION
I am classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
NOT
EVALUATED
DATA
DEFICIENT
LEAST
CONCERN
NEAR
THREATENED
VULNERABLE
ENDANGERED
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
EXTINCT
IN THE WILD
EXTINCT
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
STATUS
My habitat consists of one very small island which makes it even more precious
to me. Although no humans live on the island, fishermen, farmers, lobster divers
and local people are all seasonal visitors, and some hunt us illegally. The growing
tourism industry is also a potential threat to my species, as it disturbs my habitat.
Without an abundance of trees, I will lose my shelter and food source. When I
come to the forest floor I am more exposed to predators and can do little to fend
them off. Fortunately, there are conservation efforts taking place that encourage
sustainable forestry.