We hate to break it to you, but the affable grin on this pale-throated sloth is probably not due to its laid-back lifestyle. Our adorable tree hugger looks content thanks to its facial mask and the natural shape of its mouth. Spotting one of these slow-moving solitary animals takes a little skill. The thick outer layer of a sloth"s coat is an ideal growing medium for green algae, which forms a natural camouflage in the canopy of tropical forests here in northern South America. If you do spot a pale-throated sloth it will likely be enjoying a simple meal of leaves, limbs, and tree buds. Because sloths don"t have incisors, they spend most of their waking hours smacking their lips together "to chew" their food. This would drive most animals to starvation (if not culinary madness), but the sloth"s metabolism is so slow that it"s evolved to survive on less food.
Meet the slowest flirt in the animal world
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Everglades National Park turns 75
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All eyes on moths
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National Park Week begins
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A Portuguese fort takes a star turn
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SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
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Walking among the giants
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Let the games (finally) begin!
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Black History Month
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Time for brass bands and beer
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Children at play for International Day of Friendship
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Bonifacio on the island of Corsica, France
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‘Ciao’ from Varenna
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Killer whales in Spildra, Norway
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Pining for spring
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Happy New Year! (Again!)
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A Christmas market with a long history
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New York City skyline
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On this shore, history was made
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Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
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New Year s Day
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Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
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Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
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Looking for peace on the precipice
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World Poetry Day
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Old underground cellar, Bavaria, Germany
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Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea
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Barcelona bids farewell to summer
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Celestial Spain
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Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon
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Winter solstice