Pale-throated+three-toed+sloth

__Basic Information__

 * Scientific name:** //Bradypus tridactylus//




 * **Scientific Classification** ||
 * **Domain** || Eukaryia ||
 * **Kingdom** || Animalia ||
 * **Phylum** || Chordata ||
 * **Class** || Mammalia ||
 * **Order** || Pilosa ||
 * **Family** || Bradypodidae ||
 * **Genus** || Bradypus (1) ||
 * **Species** || //tridactylus// ||

__Habitat__
The three-toed sloth lives in the tropical rainforests where they live in the high canopy. These sloth are found on in the lowland and montane part of the tropical rain forests. They can be found in Guyana Shield region, then to Venezuela south of the Orinoco then into Brazil which goes through to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. However they can not be found on the south of the Amazon river. The abiotic factors of the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth lives in a warm and wet environment which is also a tropical rainforest. The average temperature of this environment is about 20 degrees celsius with 250 centimeters of rain at its lowest and can be about 450 centimeters of rain at its highest. It is always warm and wet all season in the rainforest covered with lots of trees to support many of the animals as the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth. The biotic factors present in this environment are large amounts of flora and fauna like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and also lots of insects. Some physical and behavioral adaptations for this species to able it to live in this environment are its dark coloured spots on its sholder, back and haunches and their outer fur is often coated in algae, giving the hair a greenish colour that helps them blend in their trees to hide from predators. They have longer arms than thighs for climbing and their hands and feet have long curved claws to help them stay and climb trees better.



__Species Interactions__
Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth is placed in the middle of the food web and also because of the animal being a herbivore, meaning that it strictly only eats the plants leaves, twigs, and buds of the tree. This animal only eating from the tree means that it has a limited diet. The Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth being a herbivore means that it also has some type of predator that hunts it. Some example of predators that prey on the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth are jaguars and ocelots which are basically cats. Humans are also a predator to the //Bradypus tridactylus// by hunting them for their skin and also for enjoyment. The Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth also uses its long arms to grap the trees and swings from tree to tree. It also uses its sharp claws to grab the trees and stay on to avoid some of its predators.It also uses its long arms and sharp claws/teeth to fight of its predators. Without the trees the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth can not survive because it is extremely vulnerable when its on the ground. Some significant interactions with the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth are the interaction it has with its environment mostly high up the trees where it spends most of its life just staying there to keep away from predators and where they mate. They also have interactions with different kinds of arthropods like beetles, mites, moths, and they also have an interactions with algae. //The Bradypus tridactlyus// indirectly provides a home and also some nourishments for the arthropods living in its fure. The insects/arthropods decomposes the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloths waste. Some feeding strategy and some adaptations that allows it to collect food is that the //Bradypus tridactlyus// has are its long arms to reach from tree to tree to ger leaves and use its sharp claws to cut off the leaves and twigs of the tree and then lastly eat the leaves, twigs, and buds with its sharp teeth.



__Reproduction__
The life cycle of the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth is that it is born during the dry season which is in March-April. During the Gestation period of an average of 141 days the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth gives birth to a single offspring. The mother tend to care of the baby the most and feeds it twigs, leaves, and buds from the her (the mother) mouth to the baby Sloth. After the young Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth had mastered its life style then its mother departs it and leaves it on its own. This usually takes about 9 months for the mom and child to part ways. The //Bradypus tridactylus// mating strategy seems mostly come from the females. They use a high degree of vocalization when they are looking for a mate. Other than that there is not that much more info about other mating strategies it might have. The way it take care of its young is that the six months it is born it hangs on its mothers belly getting nurtured during that time. When the baby Sloth is four months old it can start eating flora (leaves, twigs, etc). Before it is four months old the mother feeds it food from its own mouth to make it easier to digest for her young. The young Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth inherits its mothers preference of leaves and also the specialized gut flora used to digest what ever they are eating.

__Without the Trees (Conservation)__
Lumber companies ravaging the rain forest for its resources (mostly trees) will have a deathly affect on many organisms including the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth or //Bradypus tridactylus// (Scientific name) which will have one of the heaviest effects if the decimation of the rain forest keeps going. Unlike other organisms way of transportation like flight, running, swimming, the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth isn't able to take flight or even run. Although it could swim the //Bradypus tridactylus// is not as good as a swimmer as other organisms like fishes, or crocodiles. This is because it spends most of its time doing nothing and the way this organism is structured is not made for those types of movement. What it is structured for is to climb trees which it can not do if the lumber companies keeps on destroying the rain forest. The //Bradypus tridactylus// or more commonly called the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth will be affected to the point that it may cause even extinction. The reason for this being that this certain organism including other sloths are so used to their life style on top of the canopy that with the decimation of the rain forest they will be severely crippled since they can not survive on the ground. Their predators will easily exterminate the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth that will end up feeding on every last sloth. These sloths need the safety of the canopy for the sole purpose of avoiding predators and and to keep their young from any kind of danger. The canopy is also where they mate. Without the safety of the canopy no sloth can live or be born. The continuous decline of trees in the rain forest will surely destroy the lives of the sloth. They are so used to their arboreal life that ensures their extinction without the trees. Even though if someone does try to help these creatures and put them in captivity they will still not truely saved since these mammals does not survive well when they are held captive. Without the trees organisms such as the //Bradypus tridactylus// can not or better yet will not survive with the huge decline of trees in the rain forest it is not long until this organisms and others to suffer extinction.