Three-toed sloth in Costa Rica Oct 20, 2024

Three-toed sloth in Costa Rica

The world"s slowest mammal takes the spotlight in today"s image. There are six living sloth species, divided into two types: three-toed sloths and two-toed sloths. The three-toed sloth, a laid-back, tree-loving mammal that"s right at home in the tropical regions of South and Central America. They have short tails and three clawed toes on each limb, which help them cling onto branches with ease. Sloths are mainly leaf eaters, although they also snack on fruits, and tree sap to keep them going. To help them break down those tough, fibrous leaves, they have a special multi-chambered stomach. With their super slow metabolism, digestion takes its sweet time, and they don"t need much food each day to get by. It"s not just their stomachs that move at a leisurely pace; they"re so slow-moving that algae often develop on their fur, giving a greenish tint, which handily also provides them camouflage.

© Harry Collins/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Oct 20, 2023Pygmy three-toed sloth
Oct 20, 2025Hoffmanns two-toed sloth

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 7, 2024Bora Bora in French Polynesia
May 11, 2026Great Barrier Reef from above, Queensland, Australia
Feb 25, 2024Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, Canada
Jun 28, 2025Mannheim Water Tower, Germany
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Feb 17, 2026Ochagavía, Navarre, Spain
Sep 8, 2023The Circus, Bath, Somerset, England
Dec 1, 2025Natural arch carved in an iceberg, Antarctica
Oct 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA
Mar 18, 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
Dec 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Aug 19, 2025Flysch in Zumaia, Basque Country, Spain
Dec 26, 2024Christmas lights at Mousehole harbour, Cornwall, England
Feb 17, 2025Coll dAres, Catalan Pyrenees
Mar 29, 2026Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia, Canada
Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan, USA
Apr 21, 2024Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nov 17, 2025Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, United States
Nov 2, 2025Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
May 1, 2024Hawaiian lei flower garlands
Apr 8, 2025Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Italy
Jul 10, 2025Turquoise waters of the Bahamas
Dec 10, 2023Llyn Padarn lake, Snowdonia, Wales
Jul 19, 2025Luna moth
May 18, 2025Pont St-Pierre across the Garonne River, Toulouse, France
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Mar 25, 2025European goldfinches
Jun 12, 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA