Describer (Date):Linnaeus 1758 (Choloepus didactylus), Peters 1858 (Choloepus hoffmanni)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Magnorder: Xenarthra (sloth, anteaters and armadilos)
Order: Pilosa (sloths and anteaters)
Family: Megalonychidae
Genus:Choloepus (Two-toed sloths)
Species:Choloepus didactylus (Linnaeus' Two-toed sloth), Choloepus hoffmanni (Hoffmann's Two-toed sloth)
Family: Bradypodidae
Genus: Bradypus (Three-toed sloths)
Species: Bradypus varigatus (Bolivian or Brown-throated sloth), Bradypus tridactylus (Pale-throated sloth), Bradypus torquatus (Maned sloth), Bradypus pygmaeus (Pygmy sloth) described in 2001 by Anderson & Handley

Body Weight: 4 - 9 kg. (10 - 20 pounds)
Body Length: Adults: 540 - 740 mm (21 - 29 inches)
Pelage: C. didactylus - uniformly brown; C. hoffmanni - lighter than C. didactylus, with pale throat

Range: Central and South America; the two species overlap in Andean region and western Amazonia
Habitat: Humid, warm tropical and subtropical forest and cloud forest
IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC)
CITES Appendix: Choloepus hoffmanni- Appendix III in Coasta Rica; C. didactylus - not listed
Population in Wild: Not enough data to estimate population trends or sizes
ISIS captive population: 283 Choloepus didactylus; 101 C. hoffmanni

Locomotion: Slow-moving climbing in trees; good swimmer; almost never walks on ground
Activity Cycle: Exclusively nocturnal (Three-toed sloth active day and night)
Social Groups: Typically solitary but females may feed in same tree
Diet: Mainly leaves; also twigs, buds, fruit, occasionally rodents and insects
Predators: Jaguar, ocelot, birds of prey (Harpy Eagle)

Sexual Maturity: Females about 3 years.; Males 4 -5 years
Gestation: Ten months for both species (6 months for Bradypus)
Litter Size: One
Birth weight: 340 - 400 grams (12 ounces)
Age at Weaning: About one month (may take leaves earlier)
Longevity: 10 - 15 years in wild; over 30 years in captivity

Feature Facts: Very low metabolic rate (only 40 - 60% that of similar sized animals)