#sloth

#sloth

The Ecosystem in a Sloth's FurGorgona Island, off the coast of Colombia, once functioned as a prison, but is now a national park. It is the home of a unique subspecies of brown-throated sloth that moves even slower than other sloths, providing an opportunity for other species, namely algae and moths, to team up with a sloth for a three-way symbiotic relationship. This is all well and good for the sloth, moths, and algae, but scientists are studying this rather filthy setup because it may have disease-prevention benefits for the sloth, which could be harnessed in some way for humans. -via Laughing Squid#sloth #symbiote #algae #moth

Sloth Casually Walks Over an AnacondaWatch a sloth just nonchalantly (and slowly) walk past a giant anaconda, even touching it and passing over its head. Either the sloth knows he's in no danger, or he's just plain dumb. The snake could have easily grabbed the sloth and snuffed its life out, but for some reason, it didn't. The discussion at reddit gives us some clues.1. A sloth doesn't make a great meal. They don't have much meat, and it is "slimy, chewy and gamey."2. Sloth fur is covered in algae, which is an ecosystem for insects, fungi, parasites, and other creatures. The smell can easily turn a predator off. 3. Sloths are not on an anacondas list of favorite foods, but they will eat one if they're hungry enough. However, these snakes eat such large meals, they don't get hungry until they've digested their last meal, which can take days. Sloths are slow and have poor eyesight, but considering that this one didn't even change direction after he touched the anaconda, we have to believe it's just dumb. And lucky.#sloth #anaconda #snake   

Endangered Species Jigsaw Puzzles with Only as Many Pieces As Animals Left in the WildWorld Wildlife Fund Canada announced a collection of jigsaw puzzles they created with design agency AKQA to raise awareness about biodiversity loss.Entitled Endangered Pieces, four puzzles are produced containing only as many pieces as animals left in the wild. The giant panda puzzle is the largest one with 1,864 pieces, thanks to successful conservation actions. The Sumatran tiger puzzle is 400 pieces, the pygmy three-toed sloth is 79 pieces, and the Southern Resident killer whale is the smallest puzzle with just 73 pieces.