All about the sloth

Fun facts about Panama's slow moving solitary mammal

TechKnow travels down to Panama to unlock the secrets of the canal expansion where host Phil Torres gets a glimpse at another natural wonder. Torres and the TechKnow crew get up close and personal with some two-toed sloths.

Here’s a sloth primer to get you ready for this week’s TechKnow.

The sloth wins the title of the slowest moving mammal on Earth.

There are both two-toed and three-toed species of sloths.

Trees are the main location for giving birth and mating for sloths.

Sloths are herbivores and are also nocturnal creatures.

Sloths are solitary animals.

Sloths are not great at walking on land because of their hind legs.

In trees and in water, sloths can be graceful as they live mainly in trees, but they are also efficient swimmers.

Sloths reside mainly in tropical rainforests in Central America and northern South America.

Smithsonian scientists used electronic tracking devices on wild sloths and found they sleep six hours a day less than the ones in captivity.

Sloth hair has a fungus that could help fight malaria, kill bacteria and also help kick breast cancer in humans.

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Animals

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