Two-toed sloth

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Two-toed sloths[1]
Temporal range: 35–0Ma
Early Oligocene to Recent
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Xenarthra
Order: Pilosa
Suborder: Folivora
Family: Megalonychidae
Genus: Choloepus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

Choloepus didactylus
Choloepus hoffmanni

Choloepus is a genus of mammals of Central and South America, within the family Megalonychidae consisting of two-toed sloths.[2] The two species of Choloepus (which means "lame foot"[3]), Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), are the only surviving members of the family Megalonychidae.[4]

Relation to the three-toed sloth

Although similar to the somewhat smaller and generally slower-moving three-toed sloths (Bradypus), the relationship between the two genera is not close. Recent phylogenetic analyses[5] support analysis of morphological data from the 1970s and 1980s, suggesting the two genera are not closely related and each adopted its arboreal lifestyle independently. It is unclear from which, if any, ground-dwelling sloth taxa the three-toed sloths evolved; the two-toed sloths appear to nest phylogenetically within one of the divisions of Caribbean megalonychids,[6] and thus probably either descended from them or are part of a clade that invaded the Caribbean multiple times. Both types tend to occupy the same forests; in most areas, a particular single species of three-toed sloth and a single species of the larger two-toed type will jointly predominate.

Characteristics

Display of two toes on front foot and three toes on rear foot.

As the name implies, they have only two toes on their fore feet, although, like other sloths, they have three toes on the hind feet. They are also larger than three-toed sloths, having a body length of 58 to 70 cm, and weighing 4-8 kg. Other distinguishing features include a more prominent snout, longer fur, and the absence of a tail.[7]

Behaviour

Two-toed sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down from trees. They cannot walk, so they pull hand-over-hand to move around, which is at an extremely slow rate. Being predominantly nocturnal, their fur, which grows greenish algae to blend in, is their main source of protection.[8] Their body temperatures depend at least partially on the ambient temperature; they cannot shiver to keep warm, as other mammals do, because of their unusually low metabolic rates and reduced musculature.[7] Two-toed sloths also differ from three-toed sloths in their climbing behaviors, preferring to descend head first.

Lifecycle

Young C. hoffmanni being raised in a wildlife rescue center in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Two-toed sloths have a gestation period of six months to a year, depending on the exact species. The mother gives birth to a single young, while hanging upside down. The young are born with claws, and are weaned after about a month, although they will remain with the mother for several more months, and do not reach sexual maturity until the age of three years, in the case of females, or four to five years, in the case of males.

Feeding

They eat primarily leaves, but also shoots, fruits, nuts, berries, bark, some native flowers, and even some small rodents.[4] In addition, when they cannot find food, they have been known to eat the algae that grow on their fur for nutrients.[9] They have large stomachs, with multiple chambers, which help to ferment the large amount of plant matter they eat. Food can take up to a month to digest due to their slow metabolism.[7] Depending on when in the excretion cycle a sloth is weighed, urine and feces may account for up to 30% of the animal’s body weight, which averages about 6 kg (13 lb).[10] They get their water from juicy plants.

Dentition and skeleton

Two-toed sloths have a reduced, ever growing dentition, with no incisors or true canines, which overall lacks homology with the dental formula of other mammals. Their first tooth is very canine-like in shape and is referred to as a caniniform. It is separated from the other teeth, or molariforms, by a diastema. The molariforms are used specifically for grinding and are mortar and pestle-like in appearance and function. Thus, they can grind food for easier digestibility, which takes the majority of their energy. The dental formula of two-toed sloths is: 45 (unau)

Two-toed sloths are unusual among mammals in possessing as few as five cervical vertebrae, which may be due to mutations in the homeotic genes.[11] All other mammals have seven cervical vertebrae,[12] other than the three-toed sloth and the manatee.

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Choloepus
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Choloepus hoffmanni.
  1. ↑ Gardner, A. L. (2005). "Order Pilosa". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. 
  2. ↑ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Choloepus
  3. ↑ http://www.sloth-world.org/Chloepus.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Myers, Phil (2001). "Family Megalonychidae: two-toed sloths". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved 2009-09-14. 
  5. ↑ Hoss, Matthias; Dilling, Amrei; Currant, Andrew; Paabo, Svante (9 Jan 1996). "Molecular phylogeny of the extinct ground sloth Mylodon darwinii". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93 (1): 181–185. doi:10.1006/mpev.2000.0860. PMID 11161746. Retrieved 2009-12-28. 
  6. ↑ White, J. L.; MacPhee, R. D. E. (2001). "The sloths of the West Indies: a systematic and phylogenetic review". In Woods, C. A.; Sergile, F. E. Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives. CRC Press. pp. 201–235. ISBN 978-0-8493-2001-9 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Dickman, Christopher R. (1984). Macdonald, D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 776–779. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
  8. ↑ "sloth." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Nowak, Ronald M. Walkers Mammals of the World. Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. 149-150. Print.
  10. ↑ 30% body weight
  11. ↑ "Sticking Their Necks out for Evolution: Why Sloths and Manatees Have Unusually Long (or Short) Necks". May 6th 2011. Science Daily. Retrieved 25 July 2013. 
  12. ↑ Frietson Galis (1999). "Why do almost all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae? Developmental constraints, Hox genes and Cancer". Journal of experimental zoology 285 (1): 19–26. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(19990415)285:1<19::AID-JEZ3>3.0.CO;2-Z. PMID 10327647. 

Linnaeus (1758): Systema naturae perregna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, syonymis, locis. Laurentii :) Salvi, 824pp.

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