Slo-mo Wolverine

• Autores: Sean O'Neill
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3169, 2018, págs. 28-29
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) exists solely on a single island, Escudo de Veraguas, off the coast of Panama. It is the only sloth species on the island, which was separated from the mainland by rising sea levels 9000 years ago. Since then, B pygmaeus has been shrinking, and is now 40 per cent lighter than its mainland sibling, the brown-throated three-toed sloth (B variegatus). It weighs in at about 3 kilograms. Bigger bodies give an edge against predators, but require more energy to maintain. B pygmaeus, cut off from mainland predators, is not under that evolutionary pressure. The fur of the pygmy sloth plays host to a single species of algae, which the animals may nibble to supplement their diet. The algae also gives the sloths a greenish hue