Linaeus’s Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus didactylus
Zweifingerfaultier

Classification: Xenarthra
Distribution: northern South America
Habitat: tropical rainforest
Head-to-body length: 54 – 88 cm
Length of tail: 0,9 cm
Weight: 6,5 – 11,8 kg
Gestation: 10 – 11,5 months
Diet: leaves, fruit, flowers, insects, eggs, nestlings

Two-toed sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down from treebanches. Their main diet consists of leaves and they have a very slow metabolism. Food can take up to a month to be digested.

The Two-toed Sloth has two digits each on its forelimbs. On their hindlimbs all members of the family Choloepodidae have three digits. Their long limbs and curved digits are perfect for hanging in the branches. Their fur is middle parted on the ventral (stomach) side so water can drain off well. Sometimes the fur can contain algae and thus gives the sloth a better camouflage.

Two-toed Sloths have a wide range, but habitats are shrinking due to land clearance.