Sloth's Secret: Do They Have Finger Nails?

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping. Sloths have fingernails that are covered by a sheath of the same material that makes up our fingernails and hair (keratin).

Sloth claws are covered by a sheath of keratin

Sloths in captivity often have overgrown nails on their fingers and toes. The Greek goddess Aergia (pronounced AIR-gee-a) is the personification of inactivity or slothliness.

Sloth fur supports an entire mini-ecosystem, including several species of moths and beetles that are found nowhere else on earth! A single sloth can host hundreds of moths which spend their entire life in the sloth’s fur, leaving only to lay eggs. These eggs are laid in the sloth’s feces when the sloth comes to the ground to poop.

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping. Two-fingered sloths do not have a tail.

Sloths in captivity often have overgrown claws

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping. Two-fingered sloths do not have a tail.

Sloth fur supports an entire mini-ecosystem, including several species of moths and beetles that are found nowhere else on earth! A single sloth can host hundreds of moths which spend their entire life in the sloth’s fur, leaving only to lay eggs. These eggs are laid in the sloth’s feces when the sloth comes to the ground to poop.

Sloths have very sharp teeth and fangs that sharpen up every time a two-fingered sloth opens its mouth.

Sloths' bones are covered by a sheath of the same material that makes up our fingernails and hair (keratin).

Sloths use their tails to climb and dig holes

Sloths are slow-moving creatures and rely on their strong legs to push their bodies up trees. The tail acts as an additional support, allowing them to maintain balance and stability as they move. Additionally, sloths use their tails to dig holes before defecating.

Three-toed sloths have small, stubby tails that measure approximately 6-7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. These tails are very strong and are used by the sloths as a brace while climbing. They also serve another important purpose: digging a hole in the ground, which they then use as a latrine to bury their feces. This behavior is quite unusual for an arboreal animal that rarely descends to the ground.

Two-fingered sloths do not have a tail. Sloth fur supports an entire mini-ecosystem, including several species of moths and beetles that are found nowhere else on earth! A single sloth can host hundreds of moths which spend their entire life in the sloth’s fur, leaving only to lay eggs. These eggs are laid in the sloth’s feces when the sloth comes to the ground to poop.

Sloth fur supports a mini-ecosystem of moths and beetles

Sloth fur supports an entire mini-ecosystem, including several species of moths and beetles that are found nowhere else on earth. A single sloth can host hundreds of moths which spend their entire life in the sloth’s fur, leaving only to lay eggs. These eggs are laid in the sloth’s feces when the sloth comes to the ground to poop.

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping.

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping.

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping.

Sloths have small, stubby tails which are very strong – measuring approximately 6 – 7 cm (about 2.5 inches) long. They use their tails as a brace while climbing and also to dig a hole before pooping.

Sloths have two pairs of sharp teeth

Sloths have only 10 upper teeth and 8 lower teeth. The most prominent teeth on a sloth are the two front teeth that they use to bite off their food. Their other teeth are flat and used for grinding up their food (mostly tree leaves).

Sloths have lost all of their incisor teeth through evolutionary time, as well as the first pair of premolars (P1/p2) and the last two pairs of molars (M2/m2, and M3/m3).

Sloths have two pairs of prominent razor-sharp fangs that are called “pseudo-canines”.

Sloths have overgrown claws which curl painfully into the pads of their hands and feet, making climbing and feeding difficult.

Frequently asked questions