Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus
Mammalia
RARE

Stats

Lifespan
20-30 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Social
Solitary
Biome
Tropical rainforest
Range
South America
Movement
Climbing
Breeding
Live Birth
Defense
Camouflage
Status
Rare

About

Linnaeus's two-toed sloth spends nearly its entire life hanging upside down in the rainforest canopy, moving so slowly that algae colonise its fur and give it a greenish tint that doubles as camouflage. Its metabolism is so sluggish it descends to the forest floor to defecate only once a week.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    newborn
    A live-born newborn nurses on its mother's milk and depends on her for warmth and protection.
  2. 2.
    juvenile
    A weaned juvenile begins eating solid food and learning from its parents or group.
  3. 3.
    adult
    Fully grown at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Pilosa
Family
Choloepodidae
Genus
Choloepus
Species
Choloepus didactylus