Ancient sloths lived in trees, on mountains, in deserts, boreal forests and open savannahs. These differences in habitat are primarily what drove the wide difference in size between sloth species. But ...

The largest sloth of all time was the size of an elephant. Known to paleontologists as Eremotherium, the shaggy giant shuffled across the woodlands of the ancient Americas between 60,000 and five ...

The sloth family tree once sported a dizzying array of branches, body sizes and lifestyles, from small and limber tree climbers to lumbering bear-sized landlubbers. Why sloth body size was once so ...

New research painted a more accurate picture of the megafauna that spread widely around the Americas before they went extinct. By Jeanne Timmons Ground sloths emerged in South America tens of million ...

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is home to three Linnaeus's two-toed sloths and shares some sloth basics, but here are three lesser-known sloth facts. 1. The Smithsonian has a collection of fossilized ...

A cooling, drying climate turned sloths into giants – before humans potentially drove the huge animals to extinction. Today’s sloths are small, famously sluggish herbivores that move through the ...

For years scientists assumed that sloths don't fart — believing the methane produced by their slow digestive system was simply absorbed into their bloodstreams and breathed out through their mouths.

A sloth in its natural habitat in Costa Rica, where sloth populations have decreased in the past decade, according to Rebecca Cliffe, lead author of the research. Bernd Dittrich via Unsplash In the ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Everybody loves sloths, and whenever we talk ...

The survival of sloths is under threat due to climate change, according to a new study. The famously slow-moving — and adorable — creatures of Central and South America could die out if temperatures ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Giant sloths used to roam all over North America. Over 10 times ...

Ancient sloths lived in trees, on mountains, in deserts, in boreal forests and on open savannas. Some grew as large as elephants. Illustration by Diego Barletta The largest sloth of all time was the ...