The Tao of Sloths

The Tao of Sloth

What would it be like to be a sloth? Human life would be a blur. Sloths seem to embody a central tenet of Taoism “action through non-action” so let’s consider a “Tao of Sloth”:

  • Eat slowly – The sloth’s diet of leaves is hard to digest, their approach is to allow plenty of time
  • Hang out – Sloths save energy by hanging from their claws rather than using their muscles
  • Smile all the time – Sloths are cute and appear to smile though they’re not primates, they’re related to anteaters and armadillos
  • Be kind and others will be kind to you – Three-toed sloths climb down from the safety of the tree canopy to poo on the ground, for the benefit of moths that live in their fur (the moths in turn encourage the growth of beneficial algae)

Post Credit: BBC News

two and three toed sloths

Did You Know?

A sloth can turn its head almost 180 degrees, as it has an extremely flexible neck.

From the Nature Institute in New York:

The sloth’s neck is not only unique in its flexibility, but also in its anatomy. Mammals have seven neck (cervical) vertebrae. The three-toed sloth usually has nine and the two-toed sloth has between six and nine cervical vertebrae.slothheadrotate