maned sloth
bradypus torquatus latin

Maned sloths have a pale brown to gray pelage.

Facial vibrissae on the maned sloth are sparse.

Like all other sloths, the maned sloth has very little muscle mass in comparison to other mammals its size.

The maned sloth earns its name from a mane of black hair running down its neck and over its shoulders.

The maned sloth's small head features fur-covered pinnae and anterior oriented eyes that are usually covered by a mask of black hair.

Maned sloths are solitary diurnal animals, spending from 60-80% of their day asleep, with the rest more or less equally divided between feeding and travelling.

The maned sloth is now found only in the Atlantic coastal rainforest of southeastern Brazil, although it was once also found further north.

Maned sloths are folivores, and feed exclusively on tree and liana leaves, especially Cecropia.

Maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus)

The two species are estimated to have diverged just 400,000 years ago, whereas their ancestors diverged from the maned sloth over seven million years ago.

The sides of the maned sloth's face and neck feature long hair covering the short hair of the sloth's snout.

Although some reports indicate that maned sloths are able to breed year round, others have observed that the majority of births occur between February and April.

These are the brown-throated sloth, the maned sloth, the pale-throated sloth, and the pygmy three-toed sloth.

A species of endangered three-toed sloth, named the maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) because of its long hair, is endemic to the Atlantic Forest.

The major threat to the maned sloth is the loss of its forest habitat as a result of lumber extraction, charcoal production, and clearance for plantations and cattle pastures.

Maned sloths rarely descend from the trees because, when on a level surface, they are unable to stand and walk, only being able to drag themselves along with their front legs and claws.

In 1955, the maned sloth occurred only in Bahia, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro in eastern Brazil, in the Bahia coastal forests.

The tick Ambylomma varium have been recorded underneath the thighs of Maned Sloths (Bradypus torquatus) examined in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus)

A species of endangered three-toed sloth, named the maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) because of its long hair, is endemic to the Atlantic Forest.

Endangered mammals in the ecoregion include the Maned Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus torquatus) and Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas).

The tick Ambylomma varium have been recorded underneath the thighs of Maned Sloths (Bradypus torquatus) examined in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Four of the six living species are presently rated "least concern"; the maned three-toed sloth (Bradypus torquatus), which inhabits Brazil's dwindling Atlantic Forest, is classified as "endangered", while the island-dwelling pygmy three-toed sloth (B. pygmaeus) is critically endangered.