The Insane Biology of: Sloths

Watch the Field Notes companion video to this episode on Nebula:
nebula.tv/vide...
Watch this video ad-free on Nebula:
nebula.tv/vide...
Watch the next episode of Becoming Human on Nebula:
nebula.tv/vide...
Patreon: / realscience
Instagram: / stephaniesammann
Credits:
Narrator: Stephanie Sammann
Filming and Location Sound: CJ Caughey
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.ne...)
Editor: David O'Sullivan
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/il...)
Illustrator: Elfy Chiang (www.elfylandst...)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraph...)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster ( / forgottentowel )
Producer: Brian McManus ( / realengineering )
Imagery courtesy of Getty Images
References:
[1] slothconservat...
[2] www.nhm.ac.uk/...
[3] royalsocietypu...
[4] commons.clarku...
[5] slothconservat...
[6]link.springer....
[7] www.frontiersi...
[8] pubmed.ncbi.nl...
[9]www.montclair....
[10] www.researchga...
[11] beckycliffe.co...
[12] peerj.com/arti...
[13] academic.oup.c...
[14] peerj.com/arti...
[15] slothconservat....
[16] www.science.or...
[17] royalsocietypu...

[@mr.e6748]

As Sam O Nella once said Sloths were the creatures that when asked to choose between being a plant or an animal said "Both"

[@nirvanic3610]

Who is Sam O Nella

[@patjohn775]

@@nirvanic3610 KZbin the name

[@hectorskmetija3015]

That is just brilliant 🤣🤣🤣

[@Yyaammzz]

@@nirvanic3610 highly recommend his channel 😅

[@swordmonkey6635]

Fungi have the same elusive answer. The "wood wide web" and the way mycelia transport nutrients from one plant to the other in an economic system of saving, giving and taking from one plant to the other shows a sort of intelligence we still are trying to wrap our heads around.

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

I watched this at .25x speed out of respect.

[@inertiaking1]

Must have been an exhausting 100 minutes

[@Blackthorn-Dragon]

I watched this at 2x speed out of disrespect.

[@MegaLaban12345]

This video would be the same speed for a sloth.

[@joakos1122]

I Read This In .25x Speed Out Of Respect For Your Respect And Typed .25x For Continuity Purposes.

[@Playdeadbesmart]

Very smart joke man, thumbs up!

[@kristelrojas-leon7707]

As a Costa Rican tour guide I ask that you take a moment to help us shed light on a serious issue occurring here: in La Fortuna of San Carlos (very popular tourist location) some private land owners are setting up “Sloth parks” where they are forcibly taking sloths from their place in the wild so that they can put them in their “park”. We have contacted the authorities but very little is being done as evidence is difficult to come by (there are rumors that homeless or drug-addicted citizens are paid to turn in the sloths in bags, but the declining populations of sloths in the wild make it clear that rumor or not, *something* is going on as they have disappeared far too quickly for it to be caused by natural selection, etc.) There is even a video of our current president with an “expert” saying that there is no evidence that these parks are doing anything illegal, but it is clear to the local guides as it is unnatural for a group of sloths to all reside in one small location (and mysteriously, all of the sloths typically found in the area have almost completely disappeared, when we would often see at least one, two, or three per day along the forest edge by the road). Please help by posting and spreading the word on social media or whatever you use, we want to put pressure on the government to take this issue seriously before it drastically affects the sloth population.

[@mariarey7534]

Horrific!Thanks for information!

[@SaschaEderer]

Hmm it seems that this comment needs more attention

[@danielleaddams]

The scientists is taking them and probably killing them for their studies.

[@Tedkelvin]

seems the Government is really Slooow over there.. 😂

[@moonshinershonor202]

​@@Tedkelvinbruh

[@andkrs8]

"their ongoing survival seems like an actual mistake" I felt that

[@ModMokkaMatti]

I *AM* that remark.

[@garyyorke]

"an evolutionary blunder"! Cracked me up!

[@jeremyphillips3087]

"An evolutionary blunder has allowed them to slip through the cracks." 🥲

[@imperfectious]

F's in the chat.

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

"Luck" would have been nicer wording. Although but then the video went on to say the sloth had a hand in it's survival to and how amazing it's physiology is.

[@Team_Slacker]

Biologist watching a sloth moving in a single branch a whole day for science: *THIS IS EPIC*

[@HueghMungus]

Your name man 🤣

[@q1s2e3w]

i mean that would def be a pretty cool job

[@realscience]

Hahaha

[@nickdonzo4116]

@@q1s2e3w you just sit there and watch a sloth move from on brach to another 😂 and you can get money out of it 🤣

[@Osmann45]

As an biologist it actually is kinda epic because it's unseen within other animals

[@strangersound]

The "Insane Biology" series is top notch. You're an incredible teacher and filmmaker. :)

[@kagartoe]

Also with a wonderful narration voice.

[@caninerehab6548]

I second that! AGREED. Great channel great content and another excited new sub! Much love from Canada

[@Naythn_V2]

I would love to see the biology of the goblin shark

[@mythicmars4848]

I’d prefer the Greenland shark

[@Naythn_V2]

@@mythicmars4848 the Greenland shark would be pretty cool, the megamouth would also be cool

[@Syxte]

Worm

[@yayayayya4731]

I'd love to see the biology of me going goblin mode

[@PedanticNo1]

Gobling Goblins aren't good enough for you? You require not only Goblins, but those of the Shark variety?!

[@zappababe8577]

Everyone who eats avocados owes a debt of gratitude to ancient giant sloths. They were big enough to eat the avocados whole, stone and all. Then the stone passed through their digestive system until it was deposited with a helpful amount of manure. Thus giant sloths spread avocados around and allowed them to grow and flourish.

[@noahhultgren1710]

This was always one of my favorite biology fun facts.

[@D4RK4NG3L_]

That was hilarious 🤣

[@vipervidsgamingplus5723]

I could have lived my life without knowing this just fine.

[@frostincubus4045]

Avocados were supposed to be extinct when the ground sloths went extinct, but humans loved avocados so much we basically saved the plant

[@Mike--Oxmall]

Avocados taste like shit.

[@ctakitimu]

I had no idea I'd be staying for the whole video! My respect for the Sloth has increased massively!

[@Dowlphin]

I just CBA to move on to something else.

[@j.477]

same hEar,, n that's startin from a smthn r uuttawzzzzzzzzz , zzz . z

[@charlessarver1637]

Yeah, more to them than meets the eye

[@terramater]

That's so interesting to see the cycle between sloths and moths! Our crew filmed a project that tries to understand moths' behaviour and how they evolved to evade bats!

[@realscience]

If you liked this video, you will love the Field Notes companion episode on Nebula! It's a different format than what we usually do, but I'm so so happy with how it came out. Let me know what you think in the comments here! nebula.tv/videos/realscience-sloths-tracking-the-untrackable

[@Spectacurl]

As a Costa Rican thanks for not showing any Costa Rican researchers or conservationist that work super hard to support all those Americans 👍🏼 Also the collaboration of privately owned land to plant trees is a initiative of the government and we pay, with tax payer’s money, the private land owners to plant and keep those trees. Also sloths were declared the national animal of Cost Rica… This video gives the impression that we do nothing where the reality is that you can find this many to do research thanks to the expensive conservation efforts we take and the support of our researchers

[@kristelrojas-leon7707]

@@Spectacurl Hola mi amigo, disculpe la molestia espero no enfurecerte con este comentario pero considero que se debe hacer. Primero quiero comenzar mencionando que estoy de acuerdo con usted, me hubiera gustado ver nuestros científicos mencionados en este vídeo ya que nosotros que trabajamos en el sector nos esforzamos mucho por la flora y la fauna que tanto amamos. Segundo, si creo que hay una manera de decir las cosas y también pienso que es importante reconocer la contribución que hacen los países extranjeros para lo que es la investigación de nuestra biodiversidad. Creo que para nadie es un secreto que una gran porción de voluntariados y expertos no son Ticos (pero recalcó que nosotros también tenemos expertos realmente increíbles que no suelen obtener el reconocimiento que se merecen). Aun así, mucho del dinero también viene del extranjero, en especial el estadounidense nos da una gran contribución a la economía. Siento que es importante agradecer cada vez que nuestro pequeño país se menciona en algo que nos puede dar más atención, y como resultado más movimiento en el turismo, ya que esto nos ayuda obtener más fondos para investigaciones. Creo que este canal es uno de esos, porque aunque la mención de nuestro país fue breve el canal es grande y ellos se esfuerzan mucho en siempre dar material de alta calidad. Amigo, estoy de acuerdo contigo pero no nos enojemos - esto no nos ayuda obtener lo que queremos. Nos representas en cada comentario, y no quiero que parezcamos como un país enojón o malagradecido.

[@joejacko1587]

from my understanding the hard part of hanging for humans is the blood rushes out of the arms making our muscles weak

[@alexdenton9176]

Get a man to narrate it next time, I'm not going to listen to a vvoman talk for 20 minutes. Yeuch.

[@existencemystery]

[miracle, house, shelter]regular brown core, not black and white brown with blue= good brown with purple= good brown with gold= good brown with white= good All colors mixed Also the molested kids so there might not be like a most high

Hello!! I'm from Costa Rica and I study Geology on the University of Costa Rica where there are several sloth families living around the campus, I have seen them even doing the hilarious poop dance you were talking about. I really love your channel and it always amazes me your story-telling technique. Hope that you have a wonderful time on our country!

[@glennllewellyn7369]

It’s not just sloths that do the poo dance mate. Heh heh heh... Australia

[@Wildicon19]

This was an insightful presentation on the biology of the Sloth! They are incredible animals that have found a unique way to survive our brutal environment! Thank you for sharing this amazing video, and educating people on the fantastic animals we have on our planet we call Earth.

[@BeckBeckGo]

😚😚😚😚😚😚😚😚😽😏

[@kfl611]

And few animals have cuter faces ! Or babies !

[@charlessarver1637]

Just goes to show, life can find more than one way, even among mammals

[@khuzaimahhaleem4994]

Can we take a moment to appreciate the quality of the video. Hats off

[@chaosdweller]

I'm not done yet haha.

[@Dowlphin]

Can you take a moment to learn punctuation?

[@chaosdweller]

@@Dowlphin haha u got a point....haha,....hey !!!!!!!! oh my god ! are u her ? ...the lady I'm getting tortured for? haha.

[@nabeelmohd8320]

19:22 That itching is the fastest movement of sloth I have ever seen

[@retrofuturist7]

Thanks for all the work you guys put in!! Defo my top 5 favourite channels on KZbin ❤️

[@RachelsSweetie]

The sloth temperature control is the most insane of your fascinating insane biology videos. Also the Henry Rollins poster in Mike Butcher's office.

[@panchampangoro4999]

Slaking’s 160 Base Attack Stat makes all the more sense now 😳

[@RoxasLov3r4Ev3r]

LOL Bruh you're so right 😳😳😳

[@DeuxisWasTaken]

Its 100 Base Speed now doesn't make sense even more though lol

[@Tennosoul]

@@DeuxisWasTaken slaking probably is on ground sloths that where 6m hight and 4t weight

[@Mujahid_Mahmood]

Seriously thank you for your work! It makes me realise that animals I thought I know about are the ones I know the least about.

[@andrewmendez8322]

Loving the light you shed on what biologists may do. I am not in this field but have gathered much insight into the varied work biologist may involve themselves in. Keep up the A Grade work Real Science!

[@ExileCestus]

I love sloths. It's heartbreaking to hear they are endangered specie and more saddening because there's no data to back it up. I hope you and everyone succeeds.

[@jacobsalmi5582]

I mean, sloths are shown to be extremely dumb. Not their fault, evolution backed them into a corner of failing attributes. So much so that nature gave them a safety helmet.

[@Sara3346]

I mean they seem very very efficent, just rellying on an innefficent resource, sort of like anti humming birds, wouldn't call them failures at all.

[@Jaime-u5m]

The only species not endangered on our planet is probably the common cockroach. They will be disappointed when we off ourselves, because they will have to start earning their existence.

[@alexisjuillard4816]

girl, you are AWESOME. Your smooth soft voice, your structured script, the obviousy massive amount of research going into this, the beautiful final form of the edited video... these are perfect you rock As a scientist myself (physics) with many non scientist friends i am very aware of tthe communication problem. Like i m fascinated by science, extending way outside my field, so i have a pretty good level in some fields like psychology and biology, i'm actually taking courses on that last one for my future (wanna specialise in astrobiology) so i have a hard time finding long form, deep dive content that isn't limited to the pop cullture view of biology, or isn't a full on lesson or documentary. Your video, like tier zoo's always teach me something new, for tier zoo its more fun oriented so i might catch some trivia but these deeper dives studying a particular topic are so dense in info they're like the neutron stars of yt educational biology lol

[@floppa3c]

she is the narrator bruh read the description

[@existencemystery]

Green nature drink, ocean power, drawings crayon, doctors and molested kids, ;questions for molested when young, also therapists and engineers, only pure scientists

[@Slashplite]

this channel needs to explode eventually. What you do is amazing

[@AllSquirrelsGoToHeaven]

Actually, understanding through experience, the modern paradigm of fitness versus physics a sloth makes a whole lot of evolutionary sense. At one point I knew that I had to strengthen my core, or the weight of my upper body would cause permanent damage to my spine especially due to the nature of my work and my age. Naturally, for several months I approached this problem by doing several sit-ups and squats every morning. My back gave out anyway and I didn't even get a 2 pac out of it all. It turns out that physics has an interesting solution to this. One of the best ways to achieve lasting and showing core strength is actually the plank and reverse plank positions using a yoga mat. It turns out that sit-ups can actually cause spinal damage. It's been 2 years since I learned that, and I feel and look great. I'm 36.

[@noahglenn8305]

Yeah- there is a school of thought that the main job of core musculature is to keep the core rigid during under load, and strengthening exercises should reinforce that

[@victoriancuddler]

i have a friend that works in the field, and he's doing his post doc on conservations of snake (🐍) populace in South America and listening to his stories in research is always a delight

[@existencemystery]

[miracle, house, shelter]regular brown core, not black and white brown with blue= good brown with purple= good brown with gold= good brown with white= good All colors mixed Also the molested kids so there might not be like a most high Info from a bookmind smart smart kid** **

[@owlthepirate5997]

@@existencemystery what are you trying to say? You're not making sense dude.. Stay away from drugs kids. 😄

[@2424Lars]

I only discovered this channel recently, but it has already become one of my favorites! Thank you so much for creating such highly educational and entertaining videos!

[@alexfox2038]

Thank you for making this video. You research is done very well. And the topic covered in your videos always feel very novel to me. Love it. ☺

[@raviTy1]

This is one of the best episodes ever! I knew Slots were incredible but so many different traits exclusive to slots were surprising to learn! Thank you for this amazing video!

[@DM-ox6po]

Incredibly well made video, it singlehandedly reignited my passion for biology and reminded me why I even wanted to pursue scientific endevours in the first place. Losing sight of your dreams of doing meaningfull fieldwork is a very real thing when sticking to the clean cut roads of many educations, atleast in my experience. So, thanks again for this excellent showcase and keep up the good work! Easiest subscription of my life :)

[@tidypog3272]

How is it going

[@sapelesteve]

Extremely interesting video about Sloths. I wish that you would have covered more about their biochemistry & physiology, i.e., the type of muscle fibers (smooth vs. striated), the type of blood cells (RBC's/WBC's, etc.), their nervous system and internal anatomy. Perhaps in another video? 👍👍

[@quinmatthew1]

Sloths are like the perfect gym bros, strong, yet humble

[@adudecalledtony3731]

‘Babe wake up, new insane biology of __ dropped’ meme but actually. I loooove this series

[@caninerehab6548]

Dunno why this line made me laugh, but hearing you say "Being high in the trees" and seeing them move so slowly made me laugh so hard, I feel like you need to be high on the trees to connect with these incredible animals (one of my faves) that are high in the trees!

[@fmz-4618]

randomly stumbled on this channel , now I’m addicted. It can go on my list of shows to watch.

[@thenoseknows9391]

Same here 😅😃🤣👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

Fun fact: the two genera of existing tree sloths (six species total) convergently evolved from two different lineages of ground sloth. The ancestors of two-toed and three-toed sloths diverged 28 million years ago.

[@hiatusxhiatus]

I love sloths, they used to appear once in a while on a tree in my mother's house, it was a whole show

[@marcoscalderon7979]

Will be going to costa rica to participate in my first field research project. could'nt be more excited!

[@spencerkulwiec8958]

Thank you so much for making such a wonderful and informative video - It's amazing how much more there is to understand about the natural world!

[@djanatpour]

I've been loving these videos for a while, but I especially appreciated getting to hear a bit of your own story in this one!

[@DingoAttack]

Thank you Real Science. One of THE BEST channels out there

[@butteredmap9064]

These insane biology videos have always been top tier. Never been a video in this series I’ve not been enthralled in.

[@zappedguy1327]

Thanks for the vid.Youve pretty much taken over discoverys place for awesome nature docs.

[@RoxasLov3r4Ev3r]

"In our minds, the reason something is slow is because it sucks at being fast. That slowness is the inferior opposite to speed." I've NEVER even thought of this paradigm before because of how ingrained as normal and factual it is in our minds. I've had such a huge paradigm shift because of these 2 sentences alone. Thank you!

[@Dowlphin]

We could argue this is tendentially natural for young people. This would also explain the outrage when World of Warcraft introduced Mists of Pandaria and they were constantly told to slow down. But such an important teaching as contrast, addressing the right audience. When a team activity results in a 'wipe' because people were hurrying too much and then took time getting back to action, I always tell people that slower is quicker. I might also refer to the pro-level discipline of consistency racing where the aim is not to minimize your lap times but to have steady ones so that resource consumption can be planned properly and you're not burning through them. - This is what is also described by the saying "Slow and steady wins the race". - Finally, this is also game theory. If two racers at the head are battling each other fiercely, that burns up lots of resources and might cause mistakes, and racers behind them can benefit from that if they 'prey' on the right moment to exploit.

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

@@Dowlphin I kinda thought that was just the pandas' culture. Like laid back.

[@RemiliaVampire]

Congrats on 1 million subscribers!!!!!!

[@sgvincent100]

This is fabulous! The quality of every aspect of your work is over the top - thank you! ✌🏼

[@naturewithgabe]

Such a good video. Well made. Field work changed my life too. Keep up the good work!

[@The-Portland-Daily-Blink]

This was such a great documentary. Well DONE. I learned a lot and it was so entertaining, to learn about Sloths, who are one of my favorite creatures.

[@teslainvestah5003]

I almost made a terrible mistake today. I almost assumed I didn't have much to learn about sloths. So glad I clicked. I am now a fan of sloths.

[@Jackson-pu7gd]

"some sloths spend their entire life in the same tree they were born in, never bothering to venture in any direction for any reason" LOL! That cracked me up so hard. My laziness utterly pales in comparison to these gods of inactivity!

[@TWHowl]

I love how they’re so slow that you can see them blink 😂 truly a marvelous little creature

[@noobboon2579]

This is not only insightful but also hilarious af

[@duhsbo]

Really looking forward for the new series!

[@Adam-ui3yn]

This video was spectacularly made. A perfect balance of interesting visuals, detailed information and making it easy to understand. Thank you for such great content !

[@kilotun8316]

2:20 I knew that sooner or later I'd get an honorable mention in Real Science! Thank you so much for this video! Sloths are so fascinating, like how awesome is it that they literally do a poop dance?

[@kathydixon3716]

I am so glad I found your channel!! I have added, to what my sister calls useless store of information. Lo and behold this has helped her many times. Keep 'em coming, love the show.

[@sorola]

The most laid back creation.

[@zacharywong483]

Awesome work Real Science team! Your choice of topic is always so intriguing and your footage to accompany the voice-over is spot-on!

[@cyrilio]

I’d love to see an episode on life in Antarctica. I know there are unique species there.

[@camalienator]

carnival thing also has to do with the difficulty of pumping blood much higher than heart-level. the trick is, if you can, you have to let go of one arm and put it down a while, for it to rest, then swap back, so that you can aid in blood flow (requires good strenght still)

[@kiefershanks4172]

Interesting about the muscle thing, being able to exert more force slowly than quickly. Never realized sloths were actually super strong.

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

Stephanie, your work is superhummann. Exceptional reporting - I'll never think of sloths the same way again.

[@serta5727]

They rock in their own slow ways ❤

[@sorbazleiton3930]

Im amazed!! Im from Costa Rica and I have been wanting to go to the sloth conservatory. This video just made me want to visit it even more.

[@CampJosephA]

It was so great to meet you Stephanie. Thank you.

[@pizzadude64]

i love watching your videos! your passion is transmitted through every single one, thank you

[@chaosdweller]

U either hate those people or u ARE ! those people haha!

[@maudiojunky]

Great presentation! I would however recommend a de-essing filter for your narration - this is usually accomplished by side-chaining a parametric equalizer with a compressor to notch out the sharp "S" sound around the 2-10kHz range, depending on the particular voice.

[@VxV631]

Plus sloths are pretty dang cute lol this video was great! Always wonderful to have a new appreciation of an animal :)

[@Davethreshold]

I know! LOL!

[@KorithStoneheart]

Sloths are a great teachers. They tell us to relax, everything will be all right

[@GenghisKhanrad]

Next time you attempt the "Hang for 100 seconds Carnival Gimmick" make sure to put your thumb under your gripping fingers and not above! It creates a wedge that allows you to hang for much longer due to mechanical advantage. I have won $100 for 100 seconds at this gimmick using this technique. I also rock climb but can't do the 100 if I use a traditional "thumb over fingers" grip. Good luck!

[@jarredbrown6189]

Fantastic video as always! Sloths have highly selective diets eating exclusively eucalyptus leaves; a nutritionally poor form of vegetation. I've heard some sloths are so selective of the leaves they consume that if the species or variety of tree they're familiar with becomes unavailable they will literally starve until they eventually die

[@yensteel]

That sloth with motion tracking is having the time of it's life XD.

[@86davy]

Watching this as a rock climber is fascinating. In rock climbing, slow and fast climbing is categorized as either static climbing vs dynamic climbing. Static is more technical and balanced, taking a yoga like approach to the wall where as static relies on fast movement speed to decrease wall time and save energy. For example, balancing and slowly reaching to a hold as opposed to jumping to it and grabbing it

[@mohawkan423023]

One could say sloths are simply... built different

[@ooooneeee]

Amazing episode! I love that you include interviews with the actual scientists and how meaningful their work is for measuring their decline in numbers and protecting the sloths.

[@punkypinko2965]

Sloths are now a candidate to my list of favorites animals, which are: 1. Beavers 2. Tardigrades 3. Elephants 4. Prairie dogs 5. Sloths?

[@noreljohnquerol9424]

Platypus

[@RippieFarmer]

I cue ur videos up for audio when im going to sleep. Not sure if anyones said it yet, but you have an oddly comforting cadence to how you narrarate.

[@pauls5745]

so cute and strange! I'm worried that there is not many of them and they have to reproduce sooo slowly like everything they do.

[@myopinion4108]

I love these creatures! They always have a smile & sweet look on their face. They look happy & loving 🥰

[@Dogtroll]

Actually koala bears have the same adaptations as sloths despite the fact that they live a half a world away so living that way must have its advantages.

[@SpiralDown2077]

Buffons description is fascinating 1. How is he not more fascinated by the sloths survival?! 2. It says a lot about how humans view nature 3. He would be unimpressed since extinction wasn’t a concept yet

[@michelleervin8919]

Sloths are my favorite!!!!🥰🥰 Always have been always will be!!! 💖💖💖

[@spareshoes]

I love to see these well made, longer form videos!

[@indyreno2933]

Two-Toed Sloths (genus Choloepus) and Three-Toed Sloths (genus Bradypus) are the sole living genera of the families Choloepodidae and Bradypodidae respectively, despite the superficial similarities, these two monotypic families are not closely related at all, the former is the sole extant family of the superfamily Mylodontoidea, which more closely relates two-toed sloths to the darwin's ground sloth (Mylodon darwini), while the latter is the sole extant family of the superfamily Megatherioidea, which more closely relates three-toed sloths to both the cuvier's colossal ground sloth (Megatherium americanum) and the jefferson's ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii).

[@katrinakollmann5265]

Thanks!

[@katrinakollmann5265]

Man, learning about the giant ground sloths blew my mind and made weird amount of sense.

[@krista2216]

Not closely related?! Interesting. This tells me that we know very little about the pressures of evolution. Eyes, teeth, etc, these are easy to understand why they have developed several separate times. But the fact that convergent evolution created the sloth more than once is very interesting! We give very little respect to these animals...

[@baloog8]

So those ground sloths were not related? I'd like more detail given the claim the 2 and 3 toed sloths are very unrelated.

[@Davethreshold]

They all look so happy because like Dolphins they smile all day! Seriously that was another fantastic mini-doc.❤

[@oliviabean8264]

Makes so much sense considering that the best way for a human to increase there strength is to go slow when it comes to their movements during weightlifting. Also it's amazing how densely muscle strength can be packed into something so small, I already knew that this could be the case for humans thanks to my dad being a deceptively strong string bean but to know it could exhibit in such an extreme fashion. Also I already thought ground sloths where magnificent and terrifying, I'm quite curious how much of this absurd strength to body size ratio they carry over even if there not benefiting from hanging out in trees all day and the inverse square law.

[@syrathdouglas1244]

The thing she said about sloths having been everywhere but now being gone reminds me of the slugs and wood snails here. You used to turn over a rock and there be dozens of slugs and a wood snail on every rotting log, but now I can’t remember the last time I saw either.

[@yokobyeol6255]

1) sloths are taiji masters and anyone who has practiced slow controlled movements like taiji or pilates, knows how painful it is for us humans 2) Sloths are the perfect answer to those "survival of the fittest" alpha males that only value aggression, speed and magnitude. My admiration for sloths has skyrocketed ❤️

[@godthunder4732]

Y’all should make a video on the Tasmanian Devil.

[@GarlicReturns]

What video says : "Sloths have remarkable grip strength" What I ear : "Sloths are remarkable at hugging"

[@arthurg1425]

This is... very good video. Engaging, instantly deconstructing the idea of sloths being evolutionary mistakes, getting all into their majesty & mystery.

[@lewismassie]

I was curious about the calorie count you gave (300 per day) as I was snacking while watching. I was surprised to find out that of the 12 jaffa cakes I had each one was about 2 weeks worth for a sloth. Crazy

[@clownworld4655]

Humans have a very high calorie requirement for our size due to our brains taking A LOT of energy to function. That’s why most animals are far less intelligent. It’s extremely costly to have a large and complex brain which is simply not worth it and not needed for most species. Arguably wasn’t even worth it for us originally since all other Homo species went extinct except us (with a few being believed to have actually been even smarter than us). We just got lucky and didn’t starve long enough to actually get the benefit of intelligence

[@BlurbFish]

You've calculated a caloric value that is either impossibly large or impossibly small, and I've no idea how you got it so wrong. You put each cake at 4200 calories, for a combined 50400 calories. For reference, daily recommended caloric intake is 2000 kcal. kcal and calories are often used interchangeably (even though there's a factor 1000 difference), but that's obviously not the mistake either, as that would put each cake at 4.2 kcal, equivalent to about a half gram of carbohydrate.

[@lewismassie]

@@BlurbFish Checking the package again, I think I used portion size rather than total pack size. Portion size is 2 cakes at 95kcal/401kJ

[@r.m.strong]

Used to spend my days climbing trees , I do recall a love of imitating animal movements, did get to the point that I'd swing from branches , run up barefoot or drop from up hight to lower branches and often I'd build nests high up or just lodge myself into a crook to have a nap, but I recall when trying to imitate sloths , thou I enjoyed the hanging and attempting locomotion under a long extended branch I got a bit of bark into an open eye. Was excruciating! It got into the back of my eye socket , had to go into emerge the next day , had my eyeball popped out so the doctor could get the woodchip out . Makes me wonder at the eye physiology of sloths ?? , every part of them seems to be absolutely flippin amazing!!

[@bapak321bapak]

I'm just like a sloth. i'm not lazy, I'm just efficient!

[@musiccorner2001]

i love this channel so informative and backed up with science. Everything thats important summed up in one video love it. Keep up the good work

[@PastaAivo]

I'd still argue the adaptions of the sloths are not great, simply due to how un-adaptable their lifestyle is to any environmental changes. Also I had always assumed that their ease of hanging from branches wasn't really about muscles, but rather passive, hook-like arms. Interesting information and great documentary.

[@cowuwu1]

I see that we both can’t get any sleep huh

[@loganphillips5142]

21:11 I don't think that's how you're supposed to hold a pen

[@cyrilio]

I have a soft spot in my heart for sloths. I know they’re slow but secretly hardcore.

[@chaosdweller]

Haha

[@SteveScapesYT]

George Buffon clearly a Tier Zoo fan. Clear grasp of the meta.

[@sarahbrass9754]

I love this series, I’m so obsessed!

[@chaosdweller]

Lmao!

[@muriloleonardo5138]

Just want to say this is one of my favorite youtube channel. Keep up the awesome work!