Linnaeus's Two-Toed Sloth
They are also known as the southern two-toed sloth, unau, or Linne's two-toed sloth. They are larger than three-toed sloths. They have longer hair, bigger eyes, and their back and front legs are more equal in length. Their ears, hind feet and head are generally larger than three-toed sloths. They do however have a shorter tail. Their shoulder height, the height from the shoulder blade to the tips of the claw is longer than three-toed sloths, indicating longer arms.
The species has relatively few teeth; it has four to five sets including canines and lacks incisors. The teeth lack enamel, consisting only of two layers ever-growing dentin. Supernumerary teeth have occasionally been observed, but this has been reported in almost all mammals.
Habitat
The range of Linnaeus’s sloth stretches through the Central America and northern South America and some parts of Brazil and Peru. The preferred habitat of this species is high canopy of the tropical rain forest. Home range of each individual is usually about 10 acres.
Diet
Linnaeus’s sloths are primarily herbivores. Their diet mainly consists of berries, leaves, small twigs, fruits and other vegetation, complemented with small prey such as insects. The typical matter of feeding is harvesting leaves with their lips.
Breeding
Little is known about the mating system of Linnaeus’s sloths. However, it is suggested that they may exhibit either polygynous or polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating systems, and females appear to initiate mating. Linnaeus’s sloths mate year-round. According to observations, these animals may have a peak season, occurring in March-April. Females of this species produce young once a year. The gestation period lasts for 6 months, yielding a single baby, which lives clinging into the belly of its mother for the first 5 weeks of its life. Independence is reached at 1 year old, although the young sloth often continues to associate with its mother until 2 years old. Age of sexual maturity is 3 years old for females and 4 - 5 years old for males.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Least Concern(LC) and their population trend is currently classed as unknown and the amount of mature individuals is also unknown.
Threats
The biggest threat to the overall population of this species is habitat destruction as a result of hunting for their coat, meat and claws as well as logging of their rainforest range. As extremely slow animals, Linnaeus’s sloths are often hit by cars on roads, passing through forests, which they inhabit.
Conservation
The only conservation actions are that they are protected in many areas that they are found.