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Three-toed sloth mother and cub in Costa Rica
Tree hugger in training
Three-toed sloth cubs are born complete with claws and a scratchy fur coat, clinging to their mothers for about 5 months after their birth. While they nurse constantly for about the first month, they also get an early intro to adult sloths' vegetarian diet by licking leftover leaf fragments from their mother's mouth. Sounds a little gross, but this helps the cub learn which leaf varieties are safe to eat – a skill that'll serve it well for a long time to come, since wild sloths can live for 30 years or more.
Tree hugger in training
Three-toed sloth cubs are born complete with claws and a scratchy fur coat, clinging to their mothers for about 5 months after their birth. While they nurse constantly for about the first month, they also get an early intro to adult sloths' vegetarian diet by licking leftover leaf fragments from their mother's mouth. Sounds a little gross, but this helps the cub learn which leaf varieties are safe to eat – a skill that'll serve it well for a long time to come, since wild sloths can live for 30 years or more.
© Kevin Schafer / The Image Bank / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:52 :