42 Sloths of the Rain Forest

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Sloths of the Rain Forest by Christine Keighery Table of Contents Chapter 1 Very Slow Sloths page 2 Chapter 2 Food and Family page 6 Chapter 3 Sloths' Surroundings page 8 Chapter 4 Other Animals of the Rain Forest page 12 Glossary/ Index page 15 Comprehension Check page 16

Chapter 1 Very Slow Sloths How would you like to hang upside down and sleep all day? That's what sloths do. They are often lazy and move very slowly. Sloths eat, sleep, and even have babies upside down. They use their huge claws to hang from high branches in trees. They can sleep up to 20 hours a day while hanging. Sloths rest upside down. KEY Tropical Rain Forests Equator Gulf of Mexico Central America Caribbean Sea ATLANTIC OCEAN South America This map shows rain forests in Central and South America. Sloths live in these areas. Sloths live in the rain forests of Central and South America. Rain forests are very warm, wet forests. It rains there almost every day. Rain forests are homes to millions of plants and animals. Sloths are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and are active at night. But even when they are moving, sloths are still the slowest mammals on Earth.

A sloth is a funny-looking animal. It has a tiny head, big eyes, long arms, and shaggy gray or brown fur. It has a dark mask around its eyes and a mouth that always seems to have a smile. Sloths can grow to be the size of a small dog. They usually live 10 to 20 years in their natural habitat. They have been known to live up to 40 years in zoos. A 13-month-old two-toed sloth hangs in Costa Rica. Sloth Body Basics Spending so much time upside down affects a sloth's body. The sloth's liver and stomach are in different positions compared to other animals. Its hair grows in a special way, too. The hairs are parted down the middle from belly to back. This makes rain run off a sloth's body. A three-toed sloth climbs a tree. There are two types of sloths. All sloths have three toes on each back foot. But they may have two or three toes on their front feet. The three-toed sloth has a small tail. Its front legs are longer than its back legs. The two-toed sloth does not have a tail. Its front and back legs are the same size. And it is smaller than the three-toed sloth.

Chapter 2 Food and Family Sloths are herbivores. They nibble on leaves, flower buds, and berries. Sloths do not have sharp front teeth. They just "bite" at plants with their hard lips. Sloths don't drink. They get all of the water they need from drops of water on leaves. This two-toed sloth is eating a leaf using its hard lips. A baby three-toed sloth holds onto its mother's belly. A female sloth has one baby each year. The newborn is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) long and weighs less than one pound (500 grams). Like all mammals, a newborn drinks milk from its mother. It is carried on the mother's belly. At around six months old, the baby sloth can move around by itself. Adult sloths often live alone. But sometimes female sloths will gather in groups. Where's Mom? A baby sloth keeps at least one foot on its mother's belly at all times until it is about six months old. If it is not near its mother, a young sloth will cry for her.

Chapter 3 Sloths' Surroundings A sloth only comes down from its treetop home once a week. This is hard work because the sloth has an odd way of walking. It drags its body along the forest floor using its long front arms. Sloths are very good swimmers. They move easily through deep puddles and even rivers. There is a lot of water because it rains so much in the rain forest. A three-toed sloth swims in a river. This mother sloth and her baby are covered with algae. Sloths are too lazy to preen and wash. Many insects live in their fur. Up to 1,000 beetles and mites can live on one sloth. Maybe that's why the sloth itches! The beetles and mites eat a plant that grows on the sloth's fur. This plant is called algae. It grows in damp places and sometimes turns sloths' fur green. This works well for the sloths. The greenish color can help sloths blend into the rain forest and protect them from predators Plus, if a sloth feels really lazy, it may eat the algae growing in its fur.