The Sloth - Enchanted Learning Software Please visit our sponsor. The sloth is a slow-moving mammal that lives in trees. They hold onto tree branches with strong, curved claws that are on each of their four feet. Male sloths are solitary, shy animals.
Females sometimes congregate together.
They have a short, flat head, big eyes, a short snout, a short or non-existent tail, long legs, and tiny ears. Some sloths have colonies of green algae encrusting their fur, both adding to the camouflage effect and providing some nutrients to the sloths, who lick the algae. The sloth got its name from its slow movement. It is not lazy, just slow-moving. It used to be thought that sloths ate mostly cecropia leaves because they were often spotted in cecropia trees.