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The algae needs nutrients to survive on the sloth’s hair. That’s where moths come in. There is a species of pyralid moth ( Cryptoses choloepi ) that only lives in sloth fur.
Studying the Sloth Species. Sloths are native to Central and South America and belong to two families: three-fingered sloths (Bradypus) and two-fingered sloths (Choloepus).
However, a sloth's main defense is to avoid being attacked in the first place. The two-toed sloth can survive wounds that would be fatal to another mammal its size. The sloth's slow, deliberate movements and algae-covered fur make them difficult for predators to spot from a distance. Their treetop homes are also out of reach for many larger ...
[49] [50] [51] Recent research shows that moths, which live in the sloth's fur, lay eggs in the sloth's feces. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the feces, and when mature fly up onto the sloth above. These moths may have a symbiotic relationship with sloths, as they live in the fur and promote growth of algae, which the sloths eat. [5]
Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. They varied widely in size with the largest, belonging to genera Lestodon, Eremotherium and Megatherium, being around the size of elephants. Ground sloths represent a paraphyletic group, as living tree sloths are thought to have evolved from ground sloth ...
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A sloth moth is a coprophagous moth which has evolved to exclusively inhabit the fur of sloths and to use sloth dung as a substrate for the early stages of reproduction. Sloth moths include Bradypodicola hahneli , [ 1 ] Cryptoses choloepi , [ 1 ] Cryptoses waagei , [ 2 ] Cryptoses rufipictus , [ 2 ] and Bradypophila garbei .
Two-toed sloths have a reduced, ever growing dentition, with no incisors or true canines, which overall lacks homology with the dental formula of other mammals. Their first tooth is very canine-like in shape and is referred to as a caniniform. It is used for tearing small chunks off of their food, as well as for defense against predators. [26]