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Why are sloths sensitive to changes in temperature?
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sloth
Juvenile three-toed sloth (Bradypus) climbing a tree branch.
Sloths are sensitive to changes in temperature because they are heterothermic, meaning they have imperfect control over their body temperature.12
While a sloth's body temperature normally ranges between 25 and 35 °C (77 and 95 °F), it can drop as low as 20 °C (68 °F) when environmental temperatures fluctuate. At this lower temperature, the animals become torpid, a state of physical and mental inactivity that significantly limits their ability to function. This physiological limitation is a direct result of their specialized, low-energy metabolism, which is adapted to a low-calorie diet of leaves.123