Sloths move slowly, high up in the rainforest. They live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Let's find out how a sloth eats, moves and stays safe. Sloths are about 2 to 2.5 feet (0.6 to 0.8 meters) long. They have round heads, tiny ears and short, stubby tails.

Sloths mostly eat leaves. Leaves give sloths very little energy. Sloths eat leaves from more than 90 kinds of trees. But one sloth usually sticks to about six to twelve kinds. A single leaf can take about a month to travel through a sloth's body.

Sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down from tree branches. Their long, curved claws hook onto the branches. About once a week, a sloth climbs down from its tree to go to the bathroom. On the ground, sloths cannot really walk. They drag themselves along with their claws and front legs.

Sloths are hunted by big birds and big cats, such as harpy eagles, jaguars and ocelots. A curled-up sloth can look like a termite nest or a knot in the wood. Green algae grow in a sloth's fur. The algae help it blend in with the green leaves.

Sloths live alone, except for a mother with her baby or sloths that are mating. A mother sloth has one baby at a time. The baby crawls onto its mother's belly right after it is born. It learns which leaves are safe to eat by tasting leaves from her mouth.

Words to know

• jaguars: big cats
• algae: green growth
• claws: hooks
• ocelots: big cats