Why Are The Slowest Animals In The World Slow?

Do you know why the slowest animals in the world are slow? What prevents them from running for their life even when attacked? Let’s find out.

What Is The Slowest Animal In The World?

From National Geographic to Disney’s Zootopia, sloths are depicted as the slowest creatures on earth. But why is this three-toed mammal one among the slow-moving animals of the world?

Fun Fact About Sloths

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on earth and humans may have done a complete study about these animals but this is not the case with sloths! Humans are incapable of tracking the sloths, the slowest animal on earth to predict basic facts like how long the animal lives. 

Sloths Can Cure Cancer 

Their speed makes them a good breeding place for algae. Each sloth may host upto 950 sloth moths that are found nowhere on earth. The invertebrate eco-system in a sloth’s body 

Sloth Life Cycle

They are physically incapable of fast movements due to low metabolic rates. They poo at least 30% of their entire body weight in one go. Sloths don’t have the ability to control body temperature and depend on the environment for heat. During the winter, the gut bacteria in a sloth’s stomach may die due to digestive problems. This can cause sloths to die of starvation on a full stomach.

Sloths are the only animals that can digest an avocado seed and disperse them efficiently for germination. The lack of clone cells in the eyes makes them colorblind at night and completely blind during the day.

Predators

A sloth moves at an average speed of 0.003 miles per hour. This makes them an open target for predators making them one of the endangered species of the world as well. Thus, the 80 different types of sloths are reduced to three types now. Sloths are 3 times stronger than humans and they can withstand a jaguar trying to pull them away from a tree.

What Is The Slowest Animal On Earth?

Sea anemones which can be mistaken for coral plants are actually the slowest animal on the planet. They live most of their lives like plants rooted to one single rock underwater. They are slower than a snail or a turtle.

Sea anemones are poisonous and certain varieties can be lethal to humans similar to jellyfish. These animals are primarily responsible for cleaning parasites off reef fish and other underwater creatures. They help in maintaining a healthy underwater ecosystem. 

These flower-like animals cannot move after their larval phase to prevent themselves from washing away with waves. Clownfishes (Que: Nemo) have mucous quoting to prevent themselves from being stung from sea anemones. Thus, sea anemones create a safe hideout for them. 

Slow Animals List

Here is a list of very slow animals:

Land:

Snails, especially garden snails and banana snails. Snails create a slime track to prevent themselves from scratching. This requires a lot of water and energy and makes them slow. Giant tortoises, while tortoises themselves are slow, the giant ones are even slower due to the weight of their shells. Slow Loris is the most poisonous and laziest animal on the planet. 

Water:

Starfish varieties are either extremely slow or extremely fast. While most move at a speed of 15 cm per minute, sunflower starfish can cross one-yard length in one minute. Sea cows are slow due to their weight.