CHAPTER XXIV 



THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND ARMADILLOS 



THE order Edentata includes the Sloths, Ant-Eaters, Armadillos, 

 Pangolins, and African Ant-Bear or Aard-Vark, mammals which 

 are collectively characterised by the total absence of front teeth, 

 and in a few instances by the entire absence of teeth from the 

 jaws. Another characteristic of these animals is the simple 

 structure of the cheek-teeth, which are destitute of any trace of 

 enamel, 1 and never form distinct roots, but grow continuously 

 throughout the life of the animal. The order is an extremely 

 interesting one, and may be considered essentially American, 

 for the sloths, ant-eaters, and armadillos are entirely confined 

 to South America. 



The Sloth leads an entirely arboreal life, travelling along the 

 branches of the trees body downwards, and with the greatest ease ; 

 indeed, it is of all mammals the most perfectly adapted to a life 

 amongst the branches of trees. It rarely comes down to the 

 ground, on which it only walks with some difficulty. It looks 

 slothful enough when asleep, for it then resembles a bunch of 

 rough hair and a jumble of limbs close together, hanging to a 

 branch. Waterton states, however, that the Sloth, when awake, 

 " travels at a good round pace, and were you to see him passing 

 from tree to tree you would never think of calling him a Sloth. 

 Being born up in a tree, living amongst the branches, feeding on 

 leaves, and finally dying amidst the foliage, and enjoying life as 

 much as any other animal, its structure and conformation are, 

 of course, admirably suited for this arboreal existence. Its power 

 of grasp is great, and is assisted by the great bent claws as it hangs 

 by its feet when asleep, and also often when it is dead. One, which 

 was much frightened by being taken from the forest, had a pole 

 placed near it at a little distance from the ground, on two supports. 



1 A rudimentary enamel-organ has been discovered to exist in an armadillo. 



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