Hoffmann's two-toed sloth

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is a heavily built animal with shaggy fur and slow, deliberate movements. The fore feet have only two toes, each ending with long, curved claws, although three clawed toes are on each of the hind feet. Other features that distinguish it from three-toed sloths, which may be found in the same geographic areas, include the longer snout, separate rather than partially fused toes of the forefeet, the absence of hair on the soles of the feet, fewer dark markings around the eyes, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is, however, much easier to confuse with the related Linnaeus's two-toed sloth, which it closely resembles. The primary physical differences between the two species relate to subtle skeletal features; for example, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth has three foramina in the upper forward part of the interpterygoid space, rather than just two, Adults range from in head-body length, and weigh from . Although they do have stubby tails, just long, this is too short to be visible through the long fur. The claws are long. Females are larger on average than males, although with considerable overlap in size. Their fur is tan to light brown in colour, being lighter on the face, but usually has a greenish tinge because of the presence of algae living in the hairs. Its karyotype has 2n = 49–51 and FN = 61. ==Distribution and habitat==

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth inhabits tropical forests from sea level to above sea level. Two-toed sloths live in the canopies in the forests of the tropical rainforests. They usually tend to be relaxing in the branches of the trees that are intertwined within each other throughout the sheltering treetops. Most of the two-toed sloths activity takes place hanging upside down but when it comes time for urination and defecation they make their way to the ground. These creatures also come to the ground when in need of a new tree to live upon or to discover a new food source. Hoffmann's two-toed sloth inhabits a range of different trees within its habitat, although it seems to prefer those with plentiful lianas and direct sunlight. They have a typical home range of about , and may spend most of their lives travelling between just 25 or so trees. Subspecies The five recognised subspecies of C. hoffmanni are: • C. h. hoffmanni, Peters, 1858 – Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama • C. h. agustinus, Allen, 1913 – Venezuela, western Colombia, northern Ecuador • C. h. capitalis, Allen, 1913 – western Ecuador • C. h. juruanus, Lönnberg, 1942 – Brazil, Bolivia, extreme eastern Peru • C. h. pallescens, Lönnberg, 1928 – Peru ==Behavior==

canopy Two-toed sloths spend most of their time in trees, though they may travel on the ground to move to a new tree. A study of sloths on Barro Colorado Island indicated that the Hoffmann's two-toed sloths there were almost exclusively nocturnal, even though in other locations they are known to be active during day. The authors attributed this in part to competition with the brown-throated sloth. Sloths also have very poor eyesight, caused by a genetic disorder known as rod monochromacy. This causes them to be fully colorblind and almost completely blind at night, due to a lack of ciliary muscle, ganglion cells, and slender optic nerves around the eyes. While terrestrial locomotion is usually thought to involve the sloth lying on the ground and pulling themselves forward, they have actually been seen walking on their palms and soles. • cover feces and avoid predation; • chemical communication between individuals; • pick up trace nutrients in their claws, that are then ingested • favor a mutualistic relationship with populations of fur moths. Sloths have many predators, including the jaguars, cougars, ocelots, harpy eagles, margays, and anacondas. If threatened, sloths can defend themselves by slashing out at a predator with their huge claws or biting with their canines. However, a sloth's main defense is to avoid being attacked in the first place. The two-toed sloth can survive wounds that would be fatal to another mammal its size. The sloth's slow, deliberate movements and algae-covered fur make them difficult for predators to spot from a distance. Their treetop homes are also out of reach for many larger predators. Their long, coarse fur also protects them from sun and rain. Their fur, unlike other mammals, flows from belly to top, not top to belly, allowing rainwater to slide off the fur while the animal is hanging upside down. ==Diet==

Though two-toed sloths also eat buds, tender twigs, young plant shoots, fruits and flowers, most of their diets consist of tree leaves. They use their lips to tear off their food and chew with their peg-like teeth which have no enamel and are always growing. Additionally, they have been observed using mineral licks, which can provide them with essential nutrients. Due to their low concentrations of 7-dehydrocholesterol, it is believed that two-toed sloths cannot synthesize vitamin D through skin contact with sunlight. They make up for this lack of synthesis through their diet. Although they are not true ruminants, sloths have three-chambered stomachs. The first two chambers hold symbiotic bacteria to help them digest the cellulose in their fibre-rich diets, while only the third chamber contains digestive glands typical of the stomachs of most other mammals. A sloth may take up to a month to completely digest a meal, and up to two-thirds of a sloth's weight may be the leaves in its digestive system. == Reproduction ==

, Costa Rica The reproduction process of the two-toed sloths has some differences when compared to the three-toed sloths. Two toed sloths tend to mate all year around; they do not really go by a schedule. Courtship consists of the female licking the male's face and rubbing her genitals against the male's body. Gestation lasts between 355 and 377 days, and results in the birth of a single young. Typically, mating occurs during the rainy season and birth during the dry season. The female carries the baby for typically 11.5 months. Sloths do not tend to have one life long breeding partner. When the females are ready to mate, they let out a loud scream which attracts the males; if numerous males are ready to mate, they fight each other; after done mating, the male will usually leave. Males distribute anal secretions on tree branches as scent markings to signal their presence to females. One factor that might explain this difference is that in some places, female sloths congregate around small, heterogeneously distributed habitats, allowing dominant males to gain mating access with multiple females with relatively little risk and effort. The female is the one who solely takes care of the baby sloth until they are independent and do not need the mother anymore. They begin to take solid food at 15 to 27 days, and are fully weaned by 9 weeks. == Adaptation ==

Sloths are known to be heterothermic. Their body temperature ranges , which, compared to other mammals, is on the cold side. Having these low temperatures helps the sloths conserve their energy. Sloths' fur is grown specifically for a job which is to grow algae. The algae grow within their hair shaft and benefits the creatures' camouflaging techniques. The hair grows in a special system of being parted along the stomach and flows from belly to back; this is useful for when sloths are hanging upside down and the rainwater can run off. == Conservation status ==

Currently, Hoffman's two-toed sloth is rated at Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but is still faced with numerous threats. These include deforestation, habitat disruption, and illegal poaching of juvenile sloths for trade. ==References==