Do Sloths Really Mistake Their Own Arms for Branches?

<p>Sloths are one of the internet&rsquo;s favorite animals, along with capybaras and baby elephants. There&rsquo;s something undeniably cute about them; maybe it&rsquo;s their always-squinting faces, or maybe it&rsquo;s just how slowly they move in all their actions?</p> <p>But there are also some myths about sloths, some of which are downright insulting. I&rsquo;ve heard:</p> <ul> <li>Sloths often fall out of trees and die because they mistake their own arm for a tree branch</li> <li>Sloths have to climb down from trees in order to poop</li> <li>Sloths can starve to death even with a full belly, because their digestive system is also super-slow</li> </ul> <p>Are these myths true? Or are these nothing but falsehoods and fictions to bring down our beloved slow forest friends?</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/a-microbiome-scientist-at-large/do-sloths-really-mistake-their-own-arms-for-branches-5818c4616a70"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>
Tags: arms branches