This A- Z animal podcast series brings us to one of the most unusual and most misunderstood creatures that we have studied so far. The sloth…. The sloth was originally named after one of the seven deadly sins, and has been labeled as the world's laziest animal for decades. More recently, though, we have learned that they are far from being simple, lazy creatures that sleep all day, but rather they are complex, mysterious animals with an interesting history. Overall sloths symbolize relaxation, conservation, mindfulness, groundedness, and patience. It gathers wisdom and values hanging upside down in the trees, rotating its head as far as an owl does. With grace and patience, the sloth blends into nature, and is content to move at their own pace, enjoying the present moment. All tree sloths that we see today evolved from the extinct great ground slough of 64 million years ago. This ancient sloth was some of the only mammals that had digestive systems large enough to process avocado seeds… They feast on the fruit and disperse the seeds. So if it wasn't for them, there might not be any avocados at all. Human hunting is believed to have driven the last giant ground sloth into extinction. Evidence even suggests that they were several different species of marine sloths as well. Another interesting fact is that sloths are three times stronger than an average human with a highly specialized arrangement of tendons in their hands and feet that allow them to lock in place hanging upside down without wasting any energy. They can even hang there and withstand the force of a jaguar, trying to rip them down out of the tree. They have even been known to remain suspended upside down after death. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding sloth behavior is that they only relieve themselves once a week, and can lose up to 1/3 of their body weight. At that time. They make their own toilet on the ground at the base of a tree. Scientists have yet to understand why sloths would risk their lives to poop on the ground. Although they spend most of their time in trees, they are surprisingly good swimmers. Because they have two more neck vertebrae than most other mammals. They can turn their head to more than 70 degrees and effortlessly keep their head above water while swimming. Sloths see poorly in dim light, and not at all in bright sunlight, but they compensate with a great spatial memory and terrific sense of smell. Their bad eyesight plays a key role in their slowness traveling through the trees. Sloths have the lowest metabolite metabolic rate of any mammal, which means that it takes them around 30 days to digest a single leaf. They do not like the cold because they cannot raise their own body temperature due to their slow metallic metabolic rate so to digest their food they needed to be warm and in the cold they starve. That is why they live mostly in Central and South America. No one really knows how long a sloth can live. Because it is impossible to determine the age of adult sloths, and they haven't been studied enough to determine an adequate lifespan. The sloth isn't prominent in global myths or legends like other mammals of the world. The absence of the sloth, in mystical stories may itself be symbolic, reflecting the creatures unassuming nature. In some indigenous Amazon traditions, the sloths’ slow, deliberate movement is seen as a form of mindfulness and mindful living, as well as harmony with the natural world, a lifestyle of balance and awareness. So call on sloth medicine. Call it into your life. For groundedness, harmony, patience, mindfulness, relaxation, and wisdom. Call in the sloth! “Call IT in With Dar!” 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai