the subordination of the sloth under-structures in 2 families one after newer examinations: the three-finger-sloth (Bradypodidae) with 3 types and the two-finger-sloth (Choloepidae) with 2 types.
Spread, habitat The home of the sloth is means and South America until Peru and South-Brazil where they live in the treetops of the tropical rain-forests.
Namensgebung The sloth got its name on the basis of its extremely slow movement-manner, with which hangeln it itself - truly in slow motion - through the branches of the treetops. The Namensgebung betrays vermenschlichende approach one inadmissibly, however. In reality, the apparent "laziness" of the animals is an extremely ingenious adaptation at its habitat: You virtually motionless pausing amid the dense foliage makes it for enemies virtually invisible, and its food virtually is adequate for them on that occasion into the mouth.
Physique Those limbs are altered and with some types in front longer than behind. Fingers and toes show deformities and are reduced in its number: Toes always exist in three-number, while also the fingers with the three-finger-sloth on three, with the two-finger-sloth on two reduced is. they carry until sickle-claws long to 7,5 cm, with which the animals can hook up hanging themselves at branches with the back downward. The neck-spinal column is very movable and allows a head-spin by 180° like with the owls.
Fur Also the fur shows a peculiarity in adaptation to the Hängelage: The vertex doesn't proceed the spinal column like otherwise with mammals usually alongside but along the center line of breast and stomach. So, raindrops, that fall on the peritoneum, can run out after the sides.
As further peculiarity, two types of microscopically small blue-green algae live in the fur of the sloth and give this a greenish coloring, what contributes additionally to the camouflage of the animals in the Blätterwerk. As "return", the algae find a muggy milieu in the fur and with it extremely favorable life-conditions before. It therefore is about a real symbiosis, a life-community to the mutual benefit, here.
Way of life Sloth constantly live in the trees. its food at leaves, blooms and fruits always increases around by it in sufficient quantity. they therefore don't have any cause to move. As far as the food is not directly attainable with the mouth, it is drawn near with the hand-claws and is eaten away leisurely. From the 24 hours of the day, sloth oversleep approximately 15. they are attached to its hook-claws as compressed bundle usually during the day, the head between the front-arms on the breast put, or crouches in a branch-fork so. With the locomotion hangeln it as well as horizontally as also vertically climbing at branches along. So skillfully itself sloth in the branches can move, so awkwardly they are at the ground. So they only leave its airy empire if they don't find any more feed there and cannot reach the nearest treetop. At the ground, they can extend lying only on the stomach with difficulty onward with what they need for 200-280 m a hour. In the water, however, they prove to be quite good swimmers.
Food Three-finger-sloth are food-specialists largely. they live mainly on the leaves, blooms and fruits of the ant-trees (Cecropia). Here two-finger-sloth are less established and therefore more frequently change to the other from a tree. Therefore, they are to be held in zoos also sooner.
Tone-remarks The actual three-finger-sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) got the popular name Ai because it gives one to in such a way sounding protracted reputation of itself above all during the combination-time. If the animals feel unwell, they express probably also an audible puffing.
Reproduction The sloth don't have any established heat-times. One found boy in all months, the birth-periods in zoos are as well. The Tragzeit amounts to 120-180 days with the three-finger-sloth, with the two-finger-sloth approximately 8-9 months. 1 young were born after it. The combination-position has not yet been observed with the three-finger-sloth, with the two-finger-sloth hangs the partners at the arms and presses the stomachs together.
The young was born by the hanging mother with the head without embryonic-skins in front. Just as it has the head freely, it breathes and helps in the birth through powerful coming and Herwinden. The stomach of the mother, that licks the fur there, that licks off young, and bites through the umbilical cord, turns on that occasion. The young claws to the mother-breast upwards and finds one of the two shoulder-continuous teats. its suction stimulates the milk-river. The young is short and dense-fleecy hairy and opens eyes and ears. With the two-finger-sloth, it weighs 350-400 g and is approximately 25 cm long. Every month, it gains 100 g about good. First is oberseits dark, unterseits lighter fur changes into the adult-dress with reverse coloring and longer hair with 4 months. If the young is touched firmly, it discharges an alarm-squeal what the mother induces to the Fauchen, palpitation and biting according to the enemy. The young clings resolutely at the mother, who doesn't take any regard on its child with the mountaineering. If danger, that the young is wiped with the mother's crawl through close passageways, passes überklettert it (already in the age of few days) in a flash the obstacle or slides on the back.
With 1 months, the young shows already first interest in the surroundings, then reacts to loud sounds with Fellsträuben and starts games with the mother, (Scherzbeißen - beats) with 21/2 months begins to eat (in captivity) it independently, there already in the birth the denture completely is trained; sometimes, one sees already with 1 weeks a first eating candy. The young is suckled for months in 5, leaves the mother's body with a 3/4 year and has the full adult-size with 21/2-3 years and sexually mature.
Endangering Most sloth still are quite frequent in its habitat. Only the collar-sloth (Bradypus torquatus) is regarded threatened as serious. In Brazil, it is legally protected meanwhile. Since however, sloth are dependent on the tropical rain-forests as habitat, they are also threatened by the deforestation of the forests directly in its existence.
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