Future Sloths

Today’s sloth lives high in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. It has long arms and thick brown fur, often covered in green algae for camouflage. Sloths rarely come to the ground and depend on large, connected forests for safety and food. They sleep for about 10 hours a day. In 1000 years, sloths may look slightly different if climate change and deforestation continue. Sloths will become smaller and live closer to humans in a warmer world with less food. Their fur may grow thinner and lighter in color to handle higher temperatures. Due to the higher temperatures, they might become nocturnal. Stronger claws and shoulders might help them move across thinner trees or wildlife bridges. While they would still move slowly and hang from branches, future sloth would likely become slightly faster due to living closer to human environments.