Animal Facts:
The sloth is reputed to sleep all day long. But this is, in fact, not true. Wild sloths only sleep for about nine to ten hours a day, which isn’t all that much longer than humans. Sloths only seem lazy because, even awake, they don’t move a lot. And when they do, they’re slow about it.
The brown-throated sloth is built for life in the treetops. It spends most of its time hanging upside down from branches, which it clings to with its long claws. This technique doesn’t require much energy and it’s been known that, even after death, sloths can continue to hang suspended from their branch for some time.
Sloths do almost everything hanging upside down from trees, from the moment they are weaned from their mother to whom they cling for the first months of their lives. They sleep, eat, mate and even give birth while hanging upside down.
The reason sloths can remain in this position for such a long period is that their internal organs are fixed to their rib cage so that they don’t weigh down their lungs. That the brown-throated sloths don’t need to move much is a good thing because they need to preserve their energy, as their diet is low in nutrients. Unlike two-toed sloths, which also snack on fruits and insects, the three-toed sloths – to which the brown-throated sloth belongs – only eat certain types of leaves, which are low in calories.
They digest these leaves so slowly – they need around thirty days to digest one – that they only need to climb down once a week to use the forest floor as their bathroom.
Toilet breaks are one of two occasions when sloths voluntarily leave their trees.
The only other time they do so is to find a partner. Mating begins with the female sloth emitting a long, high-pitched call that attracts males from a radius of 700 metres around her.
Mating itself is also the only time that sloths make an exception to the rule of doing everything at a snail’s pace: once they’ve found a partner, the whole mating ritual is over in about five seconds, after which they go back to their natural state of solitary unhurriedness.
Visiting the forest floor is dangerous for sloths. For one, because they are slow and clumsy on the ground. As the sloth’s hind legs are weak, it has to dig into the earth with its long front claws to pull itself forward, dragging its belly across the ground. This makes them even slower than usual and unable to evade any predators, which consist mainly of eagles, jaguars, snakes and, of course, humans.
The second reason why sloths are much more vulnerable on the ground is that their main defence does not work – up inside a tree, sloths are protected by camouflage as green algae grow on their fur, making them blend in with the surrounding trees. Add to that the fact that a sloth has no body odour and does not sweat, and they are almost invisible. Which is why most sloths die during their toilet breaks, during which they lose up to a third of their body weight.
Melting into the trees isn’t the algae’s only advantage, though. It also contains important nutrients that three-toed sloths need to supplement their diet.
And the algae plays host to sloth moths. These enable faster algae growth and therefore more nutrients for the sloth. In return, the moth larvae survive on the sloths’ excrements – a perfectly symbiotic relationship between the two animal species.
A little-known fact about sloths is that they are surprisingly competent swimmers: they can swim three times faster than they can move on land. They can also hold their breath for up to forty minutes.
Finally, three-toed sloths can turn their head up to 270 degrees – as far as an owl. This is due to the fact that they have additional vertebrae in their neck. Together with the manatees, they are thus an exception among the mammals who usually only have seven.
Some spiritual meanings:
When the sloth has come into your life, note that it lives the majority of its life up a tree.
Therefore, the elements air and earth are important for you.
Stay grounded while you reach for the sky.
Sloths hang from tree branches by their long claws.
Do you hang on to things for too long? Do you need to let go of something?
Or are you giving up too easily when situations can still be resolved?
The fact that sloths mostly see the world upside down provides you with a unique view of life.
Are you able to see things from a different perspective? Do you need to?
When eating, the sloth only needs to pluck off the leaves growing all around it.
Do you have easy access to what you need?
Or do you not feel prosperous? What blocks do you have concerning abundance?
Sloths spend the majority of their lives in solitude.
Do you need more time for yourself and your ventures?
Or are you feeling too lonely? Do you need more connections?
When slots move, they are slow about it.
Do you need to slow down? Are you rushing into things without thinking?
Or do you move too slowly? Are you maybe standing still, not moving forward at all?
Use your energy wisely and don’t over-exert yourself.
Sloths use camouflage to melt into their surroundings.
Do you feel that you are seen and heard? Do others maybe treat you as if you’re invisible?
Or do you feel too exposed?
In that case, create healthier boundaries to feel safe.
Sloths live in symbiotic relationships.
Look at your own relationships.
Are they healthy? Do you give as well as receive enough?
What could you do to improve them?
Since the sloth can turn its neck up to 270 degrees, sloth people often have a great connection to their throat chakra and the clair senses associated with it.
Is your throat chakra open? Can you speak your truth? Are you authentic?
Or do you need to heal it?
If you want to read up on more spirit animals or want to learn more about spiritual topics in general, pick up a copy of my book “Willow and Strix – A spiritual journey” ©, available as a paperback or ebook (free for kindle unlimited users) US – UK – DE and in other countries
A. Wakan's Spirit Animals 