While humans wouldn’t be very happy to find that organisms were growing on their skin, particularly fungi, algae, and insects, it works out pretty well for sloths. Sloths may be hosting entire ...

Zebras, rhinos, and capybaras often have their pesky ticks and other parasites pecked off by the hungry birdies perched on their backs. Now, for the first time, researchers have observed brown jays ...

The fur of Costa Rican sloths appears to harbor antibiotic-producing bacteria that scientists hope may hold a solution to the growing problem of “superbugs” resistant to humanity’s dwindling arsenal ...

Sloths are famous for their exceptionally slow motor skills and petite faces that seem to beam with an almost natural smile. However, less commonly known is the unusual bathroom habit of certain sloth ...

A tree-dwelling sloth’s climb down to ground level for its weekly bathroom break may not be pointless daintiness. The trip is risky and (for a sloth) energetically expensive. Yet the effort could be ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Sloths are cute. Take this video of baby sloths being washed ...

Biologists puzzle over the fact that sloths descend from their trees to poop. The behavior might support a rare mutualism with algae and moths that live in the creatures' fur. Humans generally don’t ...

It is no secret for biologists that the greenish-brown shade of sloths’ thick fur is due to the presence of organisms that contain chlorophyll. Green algae and cyanobacteria (blue algae) hidden in the ...

Once a week, three-toed sloths slowly descend from the leafy forest canopy to poop on the ground. Why do these sluggish mammals go on such a long and potentially dangerous journey instead of just ...

Among the greatest mysteries of the tropical rainforest are the pooping habits of sloths. Really. Those furry, slow-moving tree dwellers almost never descend from the safety of the tree tops—except ...