Sloths are notoriously lackadaisical animals and, for that reason, are often associated with laziness or stupidity. However, these cute little creatures have actually adapted to be slow in order to survive!
Sloths have an extremely low metabolic rate, leading them to crawl sluggishly through the trees. On average, they travel just 41 yards per day—less than half the length of a football field!
Because their leisurely lifestyle requires less energy, sloths can survive off very little food; this comes in handy when resources are scarce and eliminates the need to fight for food with hungrier animals.
Moving slowly could pose an issue for those who need to run away from predators like jaguars and eagles, but sloths’ survival is entirely dependent upon camouflage. These animals dawdle so much that they actually grow algae on their fur, which in turn helps them blend into the greens and browns of the rainforest canopy.
Sloths may be sluggish, but they have spent over 60 million years perfecting their survival skills. Sometimes, slow and steady wins the race!