Illustrations

Two types of sloth imaginatively depicted in J. G. Stedman’s Voyage to Suriname (1799)

A Milodon giant sloth statue at Puerto Natales, Chile

Argentinia celebrated the giant sloth in a 2001 postage stamp

Giant sloth exhibit at the Museum of Zoology in Cambridge

A giant sloth and an iguanodon hold the Cambridge University coat of arms

Skeleton of a three-toed (fingered) sloth at the Museum of Zoology in Cambridge

Skeleton of a two-fingered sloth

Perfectly designed for hanging upside down

Choloepas claws on fingers and feet: 2+3=5

Sloths can swim twice as fast as they walk

Sloths’ legs are not designed for standing upright

Upwardly mobile

Remarkable head rotation saves energy

Just hanging around

Young sloth confused at crossroads

Hoffman’s two-toed sloth: blonde hair and long snout

Busy doing nothing

How could you call me a deadly sin?

The joy of hanging upside down in the wind

In the wild in Costa Rica

A male three-toed sloth in Costa Rica proudly displays the bright orange patch on its back

On its way down for the weekly toilet appointment

Three legs hanging, one arm foraging

Apart from hiding, a sloth’s claws are its only means of defence

Three legs hanging, one arm eating

Getting to know the ropes

The wrong way to take a selfie

A characteristic welcoming smile from a three-toed sloth

A baby sloth will cling to its mother for most of its first year

Baby Lento at London Zoo beginning to show an interest in the world beyond mummy’s tummy

Warm and safe: Lento peeks out from Marilyn’s fur

Mixed veg for a baby two-toed sloth

Not lazy, just sleepy. Edward at ZSL London Zoo in 2015

London Zoo sloth Marilyn gives her first baby, Edward, a hanging lesson

Do not disturb

We can be very fussy about the leaves we eat

Nisha Owen of ZSL calming a pygmy sloth before a backpack tracker is fitted

The sloth waits patiently as the tracker is attached

‘Well, I’ll do my best to keep it on, but I can’t promise anything’

Pygmy sloth proudly displaying its tracking collar

‘How sweet to be a sloth’

Sloth at sunset waving us farewell