“Moves so slowly that an entire ecosystem grows on it.”

The sloth has fully committed to the slow life, and it is thriving — geologically. It moves at about two meters a minute, digests a single leaf over weeks, and is so unhurried that algae grows across its fur, turning it green for camouflage and hosting its own tiny civilization of moths and insects. That sluggishness is a survival strategy: barely moving makes it nearly invisible to predators watching for motion. Its one burst of urgency comes about once a week, when it makes a slow, perilous climb all the way down to the forest floor for the sole purpose of going to the bathroom — a baffling, dangerous ritual scientists still debate. Improbably, it's also a strong swimmer, doing the breaststroke far faster than it ever walks. The sloth is proof that you can win at life by simply refusing to rush it.

Scientific name

Bradypus

Size

Medium-dog sized (~4 kg), mostly limbs.

Habitat

Rainforest canopy of Central and South America.

Diet

Leaves, buds, and tender shoots, very slowly.

Conservation

LC · Least Concern

Picnic threat level

Picnic threat: zero. Would arrive next Tuesday, if at all.

Stefan Laube (Tauchgurke), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Learn more →