Em, Sloths!

I have to say I was always quite oblivious to sloths but then I came across this video and it turns out sloths are quite famous (on Youtube) at least. Not only are they fun to watch crossing a street (I find), but turns out they are quite the quirky bunch, too. Here are my favourite bits from their Wikipedia page:

• A sloth's digestive process can take a month or more to complete
• Sloths host two types of bacteria on their fur (which provides them with the ability to camouflage)
• They have approximately a quarter as much of muscle tissue as similar sized mammals
• Maximum speed on the ground for three-toed sloths is 2 meters per minute, but in situations of danger they can speed up to 4 meters per minute
• Their longed curved claws allow them to hang overhead from trees without much effort, in some cases they will remain that way even after they pass away :( And hanging from trees is by far their favourite pastime (with eating leaves I think)
• Sloths supposedly sleep loads - up to 18h it was thought, though a recent study suggested they only sleep 10h a day.
• This is my favourite part: they climb to the floor to defecate about once a week and always do so in the same spot. They actually dig a hole and cover it again. This is when they are most vulnerable to be attacked and it is thought that they might do this because dropping excrements makes too much noise. But maybe they also think burying is more hygienic. I mean if you hang over a pile for a few days it is bound to be not so pleasant - and their sense of smell is their best sense! Also - and this is Wikipedia - chilling down to the ground might provide them with a chance to meet a mating partner.

So, that's sloths for you. They come two-toed and three-toed btw. And while they are slightly odd, they can be quite cute, too:

http://youtu.be/vkZ1qR-v__8

Next month: armadillos!