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Treasures of the Tropical Rainforest |
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Hoffman Sloth |
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The Hoffman sloth spends most of its life hanging upside down in trees. This animal is very and I mean very slow. He is only good at climbing and swimming, but apart from that he is extremely clumsy. Although, apart from its clumsiness this mammal is very interesting. |
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The Hoffman sloth lives in Tropical rainforests. It spends almost all of its time in trees. Only coming down to swim, or get into another tree that it can't reach by branches or vines,this critter blends in perfectly because of the algae that grows in the grooves of its skin. |
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The Hoffman sloth has grayish brown fur that some people mistake to be green because of the algae that grows in the grooves of its fur during frequent rains. Their hair is grown in the opposite direction of most other mammals, from belly to back. That way the water from the rains drips off while they are upside down. The Hoffman sloth's claws are sharp,long and curved. It has three toes on both it's hands and feet. The average adult weighs 12.5 pounds and is 2 feet long. |
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Some interesting facts
about this animal, the hoffman sloth are, that it can turn
its head 270 degrees allowing them to have their head right
side up while their body isn't. This mammal's fur grows in a
unique fashion. Their fur grows from belly to back so that
during frequent rains all the rain water drips off their
back. Although these animals are wonderful climbers they
can't walk on the ground at all, they sprawl on their
stomachs. Surprisingly though, these mammals are excellent
swimmers. |
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The Hoffman sloth eats leaves, fruit and twigs. This sloth also licks the algae in their fur. |
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When the Hoffman sloth mates it only has one baby. Gestation takes 263 days! The minute that the baby sloth is born it grabs onto its mother and doesn't let go until it's 5 weeks old! |
The Hoffman sloth has only a few enemies who they are hidden from because of the camouflage algae. Their enemies are people, large snakes, and harpy eagles. While sluttish are on the ground they have two enemies. The jaguar and the ocelot. |
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Capuchin Monkey |
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