The sloth lives most of its life in the trees in tropical South America. The sloth is related to the armadillo and anteater. Their body is from 24-27 inches long and they weigh about 10 pounds. They look bigger because of their thick fur which is rough and greenish color due to a thin coating of algae which grows on them during wet seasons. The fur provides camouflage among the leaves. It also provides some buoyancy when the animal is in the water. Sloth are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for quite some time if needed.

The front limbs of a sloth are longer than the back limbs. Four species of sloth have three claws on each limb and are called either three-toed sloth or "ais". They can turn their heads almost 270 degrees around. Two species have two claws on the front limbs and three on the back and are called either two-toed sloth or "unaus". The ais have 9 neck vertebrae and the unaus have 6 or 7.

Sloth are generally animals that like to be by themselves and only come together for mating. After a pregnancy period of 4 to 6 months, the female bears one young. The new sloth clings to her fur for about 5 weeks as it learns to survive. Sloth produce one young per year.

Sloth are fairly docile creatures when being handled and gave the impression of being half-asleep. However, you should be cautious of the sharp claws which could cause some damage if wrapped around an unprotected arm.