The two-toed sloth is primarily herbivorous, but occasionally supplements its diet with lizards, bird eggs and insects.īoth species have the peculiar habit of relieving themselves on the forest floor just once a week. In Costa Rica, sloths often feed on the leaves of cecropia trees, which are less dense and therefore a favorite place for nature hikers to sloth-watch. Both species live in the forest canopy, usually in dense tree crowns, where they can be difficult to spot due to their greenish-gray fur and relative stillness. Three-toed sloths are active both day and night, while the Hoffman’s sloth is mostly nocturnal. Despite their lethargic movement on land, sloths are surprisingly agile swimmers, and have been observed using a modified overhand stroke.
Therefore, energy is at a premium, and sloths exercise conservation of movement. While most herbivores process food in mere hours, it can take more than four weeks for a sloth to digest one leaf. However, sloths are not so much lazy as they are at the mercy of their incredibly slow digestive tracts. The genus names of both sloth species refer to the animals’ slow locomotion: in the case of the three-toed sloth, Bradypus means “slowness of foot,” while two-toed sloths are Choleopus, or “lameness of foot.” Likewise, their common names in Spanish (perezoso) and English refer to their sluggish nature. The average lifespan of a wild sloth is 10-16 years, though they can live into their mid-thirties in captivity. Their long guard hairs encourage algae growth, which helps them camouflage in the forest canopy. Sloths sleep an average of fourteen to eighteen hours per day, so it is most common to see them as furry balls tucked into the crooks of tree branches. Not surprisingly, both species are highly adapted to living in the treetops their long claws provide a tenacious grip to the slightest of branches. “Compré este pequeño gato para ti” which means “I bought this little cat for you”.ĭon’t stop here! Check out the complete list of body parts in Spanish and list of fruits in Spanish to grow your vocabulary further.$dotcontent.find('7ca42581-b81d-4eb2-8520-3f13e7c76947').customCode.Similarly, you can even make a wonderful birthday gift as: “¿Podrías ayudarme con esa serpiente que está en mi jardín?” which means “could you help me with that snake in my garden?”.“No pises esa abeja, por favor” which means “do not step on that bee, please”.Īlso, you will be able to ask for someone’s help if you have a phobia as:.Insectos/Invertebrados terrestres – Insects/Earth invertebradesīonus section – Examples of sentences in Spanishįinally, after learning all of the creatures in these complete list of animals in Spanish, you can give advice about nature as: Peces/Otros animales acuáticos – Fish/Other aquatic animals Conejillo de Indias/Cobaya – Guinea pig.
Full List of Animals in Spanish Mamíferos – Mammals Therefore, in order to make it easier to read and memorize animal names in Spanish, we have divided this list into five sections: mammals, birds, fish/other aquatic animals, reptiles, amphibians and insects/earth invertebrates.
This is why the following lesson is about the names of animals in Spanish, which includes a full list of animals in Spanish with their English translations.
As human beings, we are always curious about what is around us, including the other species that live the same space as us.