Sloths are not a Deadly Sin
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Why do sloths have such a bad reputation?
How did these adorable, and furry-tree-hugging sloths get on the same list as the seven deadly sins?
Sloths are one of the world’s most adorable animals—but they somehow got mixed up with the seven deadly sins. These adorable creatures have nothing to do with wrath, greed, pride, lust, envy, or gluttony. They couldn’t be bothered with them.
These adorable critters have short, flat heads; big eyes; a short snout; long legs; and tiny ears. Their stubby tails are about 2.5 inches long. Sloths’ bodies are anywhere between one-and-one half to two feet long. On the ground, they move about 6.5 feet—per minute. Their primary predators are jaguars, harpy eagles, and humans.
These mammals are light for their size and can retreat to the smallest branches when pursued. Their main defenses are camouflage, stealth, and stillness. If a predator attacks a sloth, they often survive. They have tough hides, tenacious grips, and the extraordinary ability to heal from grievous wounds. Some survived a ninety-foot fall to the forest floor and withstand respiratory arrest for forty minutes.
Their temperature, circulation, respiration differ from most mammals and live most of their lives upside down in trees. They prefer solitude and pair with other sloths only long enough to mate. The mother bears one infant at a time and carries her baby clinging to her belly for up to a year as it learns the ways of the sloth.
Sloths are half blind and half deaf. Perhaps this description doesn’t sound endearing, but they love to snuggle and are fairly smart creatures.
This baby lives at Aviarios del Caribe in Costa Rica—the only sloth sanctuary in the world. These animals are diminishing due to the destruction of the Rain Forest.
You can like I Love Sloths and Sloths! on Face Book.
Mad Mike’s America thanks Facebook’s I Love Sloths and Sloth! pages, Aviarios del Caribe
Do you still think sloths are a deadly sin?
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Sloths rule!
I swear on my Rosary- I had a nun who pointed out that very point-the sin and God’s critter were not the same. She spoke endearingly of many of the sights, sounds and people of Central America. There was also much she did not share.