1. Animals of the Rainforest There are many animals in the rainforest. I chose the Sloth
2. Sloth There are five species of Sloth divided into 2 genera and they are only found in tropical forest regions of the New World – which we know as the Americas.
3. What do they look like? Sloth have long and strong limbs with claw-like toes shaped into hooks sometimes you may see a green sheen on their fur, this is an algae that lives on the hairs and gives the sloth better camouflage
4. Sloth are also good swimmers Sloth are arboreal which means they live in trees But most of their time is spent in trees this three-toed sloth is crossing the Tiputini river in Ecuador which eventually flows into the Amazon
5. Studies show that Sloth may sleep for ten hours a day Sloth are folivores which means they mostly eat buds, shoots, and leaves.
6. How do they survive? - Food Leaves are not very nutritious so Sloth have large slow acting stomachs with bacteria that help to break down the leaves. This can take a month or more. Leaves provide little energy so sloth deal with this by having very low metabolic rates and low body temperatures when active and even lower when resting
7. How do they survive? - Predators Sloth have claws to defend themselves from predators which are jaguars, the harpy eagle, and humans Sloth blend into the trees and move slowly so do not attract attention.
