While humans wouldn’t be very happy to find that organisms were growing on their skin, particularly fungi, algae, and insects, it works out pretty well for sloths. Sloths may be hosting entire ...

Sloths are highly specialized mammals whose slow movement is tied directly to their low-energy diet and metabolism. Their ...

It is no secret for biologists that the greenish-brown shade of sloths’ thick fur is due to the presence of organisms that contain chlorophyll. Green algae and cyanobacteria (blue algae) hidden in the ...

The fur of Costa Rican sloths appears to harbor antibiotic-producing bacteria that scientists hope may hold a solution to the growing problem of “superbugs” resistant to humanity’s dwindling arsenal ...

Zebras, rhinos, and capybaras often have their pesky ticks and other parasites pecked off by the hungry birdies perched on their backs. Now, for the first time, researchers have observed brown jays ...

Among the greatest mysteries of the tropical rainforest are the pooping habits of sloths. Really. Those furry, slow-moving tree dwellers almost never descend from the safety of the tree tops—except ...

Once a week, three-toed sloths slowly descend from the leafy forest canopy to poop on the ground. Why do these sluggish mammals go on such a long and potentially dangerous journey instead of just ...