Sluggish sloth's secrets of success revealed in new study [View all]

Last edited Mon May 26, 2025, 06:30 PM - Edit history (1)

4 days ago

Helen Briggs
BBC environment correspondent•@hbriggs



Only tree-living sloths are found on the planet today, but the group was once much more diverse

Sloths have a reputation for being sluggish and slow, spending most of their lives dozing in trees, but a new study suggests this is one of the enduring secrets of their success.

Scientists have examined the evolutionary history of the animals, including extinct forms known only from the fossil records.

They say giant sloths walking the land were an easy target for the first human hunters.

In contrast, small sloths in the trees managed to cling on to survival.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj774l548po

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- click for short sloth view -

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/atZXRzpQpHE?feature=share