Mammals

The Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) hails from the thick rainforests of Central America. Their bodies are covered in a very long, thick, shaggy looking coat of hair. Their hair is a light brown mottled with a murky green color. This is because a type of algae grows within their hair.

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloths do not have a tail or ears in the traditional sense. Their arms are very long, each with three enormous claws with the middle claw extending beyond the other two. The male has a orange patch of fur on their backs, which is the only real distinction between the sexes. These sloths can be found hanging around in the trees all day, very high up in the canopies.

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Statistics

Conservation Status: Lower Risk
Average Height: 1.5 to 2.5 meters

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Behavior

The Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth is one of the laziest animals on the face of the Earth. They will sleep upwards of 19 hours each and every day, hanging from the high canopies of the rainforest. When they do move, they move extremely slowly, literally taking weeks to move from one area to another. They will not move outside of the forest that they made their home as they have low survivability outside that area.

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloths are herbivores, eating the twigs, leaves and fruit found in the trees. They utilize their sharp claws and very sharp teeth to rip apart twigs, shredding them down to edible sizes. Their sharp claws also aid them in keeping jungle cats, their most dangerous natural predator, at bay.

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Classification

- Kingdom: Animalia

- Phylum: Chordata

- Class: Mammalia

- Superorder: Xenarthra

- Order: Pilosa

- Suborder: Folivora

- Family: Bradypodidae

- Genus: Bradypus

- Species: Bradypus tridactylus

Pale-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Pictures