Special Sub-Topic: A Day in the Life of Brady P. Sloth Click Here To Play: A Day in the Life of Brady P. Sloth

Brady wakes up in the same old tree he does every single day. It's dusk, and he knows that it should rain later on in the forest. Yes sir, life around Manaus sure can be exciting. Where does our unlikely hero live?

In the South American rainforests. Sloths are mainly nocturnal, although they do sometimes wander about the trees during the day-time. They sleep for up to 15 hours at a time, but hardly ever expend any energy.

Brady is completely awake now, so he decides to do what he does every day, and what sloths are best at. What are sloths, be they Bradypus or Choloepus, best at?

Moving slowly around trees and eating leaves. Slowly but surely, sloths traverse the trees. They move very slowly, and so have a minimal rate of metabolism and a very low body temperature. This can often be as low as 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

Those darn Procyonid brothers! These raccoon-like mammals are a form of competition for our friend Brady, as they run along the same trees, eat the same leaves, and are opportunist. What is the common name for these animals, which are such pests to poor Bradypus sloths?

Coatimundis. Coatimundis, also called coatis, disturb the eating habits of the sloth , as they will eat the same leaves as the sloths. They are, however, opoortunists, and will also eat fruit, lizards, birds, mammals, fish, snakes, and fruit.

Poor Brady, it looks like he's strayed too far from home. Because of how he has evolved, he can no longer walk on his own two feet. It looks like he might have to brave the rushing river. But can sloths swim?

y. Sloths, both Bradypus and Choloepus, are strong swimmers. Although arboreal, they are very at home in the water, are fast, and can swim for hours at a time. During this time, they must be careful, as jaguars and harpy eagles may be on the prowl. These are the two main predators of sloths.

It's hard to find a salon in the rainforest, especially for someone as ugly as our poor Bradypus. His fur is long, tangled, and has a distinct green sheen to it. What is this green most likely to be?

Algae. The algae can camouflage the sloths while in the trees, leaving them much less exposed and therefore less likely to be attacked by their predators. As sloths move so slowly, their camouflage is often very effective.

Our friend Brady is quite the oddity. While all his slothy friends have pale throats, Brady has a dark one, the same colour as the rest of his fur. What type of sloth is our hero?

Bradypus variegatus (Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth). While the Bradypus sloths have flat heads and sunken faces, Choloepus sloths are very different. Slightly larger, they also have very round faces and snouts more like that of a koala. Instead of brown-grey fur, they are a dark brown colour, like that of a beaver. All in all, the two types are quite different.

A sloth leads a lonely life, especially the poor Bradypus. Every so often though, a special lady will come by. Which of these four methods will our friend Brady NOT use to attract his lady friend?

Flowers and a box of chocolates. Sloths tend to give birth to their young in the rainy season, yet there has so far been no reason for this. Although Bradypus sloths are solitary animals, their Choloepus counterparts have been known to live in colonies of up to ten sloths in one tree.

It's a long old life for a sloth, and in captivity, Brady's friends have been known to live for up to 30 years! How long would Brady actually live in the wild, though?

About two thirds less time, about 10 years.. Sloths are very long lived compared to other tropical animals, but they also have very long gestation periods of between six and eleven months. Female sloths will normally only give birth to one baby per year.

The sun is coming up, and Brady is reflecting on his day. Although Bradypus sloths often stay awake throughout the day, it has been a tiring nine hours for our hero, and his body does not readily create energy for him to use. In fact, the food Brady ate today will take up to a month to be fully digested.

t. Grisly, but true. Digestion takes up to a month in sloths, and they only pass one stool a week. Considerate as they are, they deposit their waste at the bases of trees, where any animals can just go wandering through it!

'Yawn!' A sort of knackered, slothy noise comes out of our friend Brady. When he goes to catch some shut-eye tonight, to dream about the day ahead, where will he go, and how will he sleep?

In the trees, he'll curl up in a ball. Sloths do this to resemble knots of wood or termite mounds, so that they are not attacked as they sleep. As they move so slowly, they are open to attack, although they have long sharp claws and teeth to defend themselves. They can also climb surprisingly fast when in danger. Thank you for coming along with Bradypus and me to watch his daily activities! We hope you enjoyed this quiz!