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.

The extinct giant ground sloths were some of the only mammals that had digestive systems large enough to process the huge avocado seeds whole. They feasted on the fruit and then dispersed the seeds far and wide. All tree sloths that we see today evolved from giant ground sloths. There were thought to be over 80 different types with the largest (Megatherium) reaching over six meters in height. There is even evidence to suggest that several different species of marine sloth existed, feeding from sea grass and seaweed in shallow water.