The Sloth's Learned Behaviors
Its learned behaviors also help it survive. It lives almost completely in trees — all its food is found there; it also sleeps (15-20 hours per day), mates, and reproduces in an arboreal fashion. This mammal is a folivore, an animal with a diet that consists of only leaves and buds. The sloth’s slow metabolism and low body temperature mean less food is needed. Its hard lips are used to bite off leaves, meaning no need for incisors. Its teeth grow continuously, but they’re constantly worn down by chewing leaves. It doesn’t need water directly — it gets enough fluids from juicy leaves and licking dew drops. Its stomach contains many separate compartments, which are used to digest tough plant material. This and its other internal organs are placed differently than in other animals, to accommodate its upside-down life.
