Sloth Facts

About the sloth

Seven living species fall into two genera: the three-toed sloths, Bradypus, and the two-toed sloths, Choloepus. The names are a bit misleading, since every sloth has three toes on each back foot, while two-toed sloths have two digits on each front limb. The two groups come from distantly related families and arrived at their similar shape separately. Their nearest relatives are anteaters.

The name comes from their very low metabolism and slow, careful movements. In several languages the common name means lazy. Long ago, ground sloths as large as elephants roamed North and South America. They vanished about 12,000 years ago, around the time humans arrived, though climate change may also have played a part.

Did you know?

• Caribbean sloths once lived in the Greater Antilles but disappeared about 6,000 years ago.
• Megatherium was a giant ground sloth from the Pleistocene.
• In German, the sloth is called Faultier.