The Sloth: Hangin' In There

The sloth. An easygoing creature, known for being slow. Sloths hang off of trees high in the rainforest canopy, chomping on plants that grow in the moist, humid climate. But climate change will take a toll on this beloved animal. As the rainforest dries up, trees will die, so this means less hanging. Consequently, limbs become shorter, and plant food becomes scarce. The sloth will have to eat shrubbery that grows on the newly arid land, as well as worms. A long, pointy nose will become prominent, to extract water deep within the dense land. As the shelter of trees falls away, the sloth must lose its fur to avoid the Sun’s heat. Instead, covering the sloth will be skin that has zinc to protect from painful burns. Shelter must be found by digging underground, with sharper claws. But will the changes be enough to thrive, and not merely survive?