382 



THE TOOTHLESS ANIMALS. 



cylindrical molars in each upper row, the first of an ashy gray, dashed with a pale reddish tint, and 



The Two-Toed 

 Sloths De- 

 scribed. 



■development. 



which sometimes has a canine shape; the lower jaw 

 usually has but four teeth or rather rudiments of 

 teeth. 



I regard the Two-toed Sloths {Cko- 

 loepus) as standing among all the 

 Sloth family on the plane of highest 

 They have a rather large head, sur- 

 mounted by a flat forehead, and ending in a blunt 

 snout; the neck is relatively short, the body slender, 

 •without a visible tail; the limbs are long and thin, 

 ■the claws of the fore pair being armed with two and 

 those of the hind pair 

 with three laterally 

 compressed scythe- 

 shaped claws. Other 

 peculiar characteristics 

 are the plain, soft fur, 

 having no woolly inner 

 coat; the dentition, and 

 the small number of the 

 cervical vertebrae. 



The Unau or Two- 

 toed Sloth ( Cliolcepus 

 didactylus) , a native of 

 Guiana and Surinam, 

 attains a length of 

 about twenty -eight 

 inches. The long hair 

 on the head points back- 

 ward, but on the breast 

 and abdomen its direc- 

 tion is toward the back, 

 forming a crest on the 

 spine; it is of a whitish, 

 olive-green gray tint in 

 the face, on the head 

 and the neck; the body 

 is olive-gray, the back 

 being darker than the 

 under parts; the breast, 

 forelegs and shoulders, 

 as well as the lower 

 part of the haunches, 

 are olive brown. 



The second species 

 embraces the Three- 

 toed Sloths {Bradypus). 

 They are of a sturdy 

 physical conformation; 

 have a small head with 

 an obliquely truncated, 

 hard-lipped muzzle and 

 a small mouth, a very 

 long neck, a well de- 

 veloped, laterally-com- 

 pressed tail, and rather 

 short, stout limbs, the paws of which are furnished 

 both in front and behind with three flatly- com- 

 pressed, scythe-shaped claws. The hair shows a 

 parting on t!:e head, and is directed downward; on 

 the rest of the body its line of direction is upward; 

 the soles of the feet are almost entirely covered with 

 fur. 



The Ai or Three-toed Sloth {Bradypus tridactylus) 

 is indigenous to Brazil and attains a total length of 

 nearly twenty-one inches, about one and one-half of 

 which are included in the tail. The fur consists of a 

 fine, short, thick inner coat, which best shows the 

 true markings of the creature, and a long, dry, hard, 

 somewhat smooth hay-like outer fur. The color is 



TJNAU OB TWO-TOED SLOTH. This animal of British and Dutch Guiana 



is a peculiar creature Vith its long slender limbs, its queer head, flattened at the fore- 

 head and its short neck, and above all its toes, two each on the fore and three each 

 on the hind feet, with their long strong claws. With these hooks it can hang to a 

 tree limb with perfect security. {Cholxpus didaciylus.) 



the abdomen is of a silver gray hue. The claws are 

 yellowish or brownish yellow. 



Habits The Sloths are confined to South 



and Life of America. Those extensive forests 

 the Ai. in the damp, low country, where the 



vegetation reaches its highest development, are the 

 abode of these remarkable beasts. The more de- 

 serted, sombre and shady a forest, the more impene- 

 trable the thicket, the better is the locality adapted 

 for the life of these helpless animals. They are as 

 truly arboreal animals as the Monkey or the Squir- 

 rel; but the latter for- 

 tunate climbers reign 

 in the tree-tops, while 

 the Sloths must la- 

 boriously and with 

 difiiculty crawl from 

 one branch to an- 

 other. A space that 

 is traversed in play 

 by the agile and mis- 

 chievous inhabitants 

 of the upper regions, 

 is a journey of great 

 magnitude for the 

 Sloth, and these lazy 

 creatures lead a mo- 

 notonous quiet life, 

 slowly creeping from 

 branch to branch. In 

 comparison with their 

 movements when on 

 the ground they cer- 

 tainly exhibit great 

 agility in climbing. 

 Their long forelegs 

 permit them to reach 

 considerable dis- 

 tances and the huge 

 claws enable them, 

 without fatigue, to 

 hang on to branches. 

 They climb quite dif- 

 ferently from all oth- 

 er arboreal animals, 

 however; for what is 

 an exception with 

 others is the rule with 

 them. With body 

 hanging down, they 

 reach up with their 

 long arms, hook their 

 claws firmly around a 

 small limb and com- 

 fortably drag them- 

 selves along from 

 branch to branch. They appear lazier than they 

 really are, however. Being of nocturnal habits they 

 may spend entire days without stirring; but when 

 dusk comes they rouse themselves, and during the 

 night traverse a greater or smaller space, accord- 

 ing to their requirements, slowly but not lazily. 

 They feed exclusively on buds, young shoots and 

 fruit and the plentiful dew which they lick off the 

 leaves supplies them with water, which otherwise 

 they would lack. An undeniable slowness of move- 

 ment is exhibited in their search for and appropria- 

 tion of food. They are frugal, easily satisfied, and 

 capable of enduring hunger and thirst for days, 

 some say for weeks, without harm resulting to them. 



