sloth


 * Saunders Healy[[image:slothyyyyy.jpg height="189" align="right" caption="Sloth- www. zooillogix.com"]][[image:three_toed.jpg width="220" height="168" align="right"]]**
 * 3-29-11**
 * Science Period 1**
 * Miss Joceville**

-**maned three-toed sloth-Bradypus torquatus**
 * Family-The family of my sloth is Bradypodidae. This Family has all three toed sloths in it. All these sloths have characteristically long arms and [[image:slothyyyy_eating.jpg width="268" height="207" align="left" caption="three-toed sloth-www.cutehomepets.com"]]are very slow movers.**
 * -Three-toed sloth-**
 * Bradypus tridactylus**
 * -pygmy three-toed sloth-Bradypus pygmaeus**
 * Movement- Sloths move very slowly. They are so slow because of their metabolism. They don't eat a lot of food because they're digestive system is so slow. If the sloth eats too much food it cannot fully digest it so it eats so little that it only has a small amount of energy and can only move at a top speed of 1.2 mph. The sloth can only stay at that speed for about 15 yards. Another reason os they eat so little and move so slow that they produce very little muscle and they just do not have the muscle to move quickly.**


 * Metabolism- A sloth's diet is just like everything else about a sloth, slow. A sloth's diet contains mostly of buds, tender shoots, insects, and leaves. They do not eat much because they cannot digest it quickly enough. Sloths eat much like humans using their hands as tools to pick up the food put in their mouths and chew it and swallow.**


 * Size- Sloths are a very small animal. They are about the size of a two year old, but with arms as long as their bodies. They usually are about 22 inches long. The average weight is about 10 pounds and are a suprisingly common pet.**


 * Adaptations- First the sloth has adapted to having a small body and long arms and legs for climbing. Next they have brown fur that helps them blend in. They move so slowly that they get covered in a blue green algae that helps them blend in even more. Lastly when the sloth is sleeping it conserves energy by having its body temperature drop to about 85F instead of in the mid 90's.**


 * Differences between males and females- There are ony two differences between male and female sloths, the first is there is a slight size difference. Secondy the reproductive organs are different.**


 * Gestation- A sloth's gestation period is about 6 months. When the baby is born it is only 10 inches long but still has charcteristically long arms**


 * Sources. Wikipedia.com**
 * The nature institute.org**
 * [|www.sloth.ca/sloths/three___toed.sloths.html]**


 * sfsu.edu**
 * Thinkquest.org**