The sloth is the world's slowest mammal, so sedentary that algae grows on its furry coat. The plant gives it a greenish tint that is useful camouflage in the trees of its Central and South American rain forest home.

Sloths are identified by the number of long, prominent claws that they have on each front foot. There are both two-toed and three-toed sloths. All sloths are built for life in the treetops. They spend nearly all of their time aloft, hanging from branches with a powerful grip aided by their long claws. Sloths even sleep in trees, and they sleep a lot—some 15 to 20 hours every day. Even when awake they often remain motionless. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from juicy plants.

Sloths mate and give birth while hanging in the trees. Three-toed sloth babies are often seen clinging to their mothers—they travel by hanging on to them for the first nine months of their lives.

Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth, Panama by Andres Licona

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

Three-Toed Sloth by Joel Sartore

Three toed sloth at the Dallas World Aquarium by Sergiodelgado

Sloth with her baby by the Suites

Three-toed Sloth Wallpaper

Two-toed sloth, photo by Greg Willis

Two-Toed Sloth Hangs from a Branch by Roy Toft

Photo by spoozer290

Baby sloth

Sloth Baby by ~Whyamithewerewolf

Photo by Stacey t.

Hugz by Specklet