Why are you lazy ... lazy? The reason turned out to be more interesting than we thought

If a sloth does not win the champion, then no one dares to accept the number 2. But why would they choose such a strange lifestyle?

If a sloth does not win the champion, then no one dares to accept the number 2. But why would they choose such a strange lifestyle?

Sluggish and lazy are what people say about lazy species. They spend most of their lives just eating, sleeping and resting on the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. Most herbivores often add more energy-dense foods like fruits and nuts. But lazy, especially three-finger lazy, depends almost entirely on the leaves. They have developed a sophisticated strategy to adapt to this tight diet. First, they try to get maximum energy from food. Sloths have a multi-compartmented stomach, which makes up about a third of the body, and can spend 5 to 7 days, even weeks, to digest a meal.

Picture 1 of Why are you lazy ... lazy? The reason turned out to be more interesting than we thought

Sloths spend most of their lives just to eat, sleep and rest.

On the other hand, they minimize energy consumption by not moving too much. Most of their time is for eating, resting and sleeping. They only come to the ground once a week to go to the toilet. When moving, lazy is not very fast. Crossing a normal road will take up to 5 minutes.

With this hasty lifestyle, lazy not need too much muscle. In fact, their muscle mass is 30% less than similar sized species. Sloths also use less energy to keep their body warm because their body temperature can fluctuate up to 5 degrees Celsius greater than most mammals. Physical and behavioral adaptive characteristics minimize the energy and metabolism of lazy species.

It was the slow pace that allowed lazy to thrive on tree tops. This also makes lazy a habitat for algae, both helping them to camouflage and sometimes make snacks. Lazy really lazy!

Follow in the footsteps of scientists answering the interesting behavior of this seemingly boring creature through the video below.

Update 02 January 2020
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