15 Cute Sloth Pictures That Will Make You Squel With Delight

Sloths are some of the most interesting species living in the tropics. These animals mainly live in trees and are known for moving at a very slow and languid pace. In fact, their speed (or lack thereof) earned them their name! They travel only about 41 meters a day and have an extremely slow metabolic rate. However, that does not mean sloths are lazy bums. They’re actually some of the cleanest creatures around.

They could cure cancer. Sloths have an unusual method of camouflage. Cracks in their hair allow many different species of algae and fungi to grow which makes them appear green. Some species of fungi living in sloth fur have been found to be active against certain strains of bacteria, cancer and parasites! Sloth hair also provides home to an entire ecosystem of invertebrates — some species of which are found nowhere else on earth (like the 'sloth moth').