![Picture](/uploads/2/4/0/4/24045552/7517394.jpg)
Order:Xenarthra
Family: Bradypodidae
Genus: Bradypus
The Sloth is closley related to the Armadillo and the Anteater. But why? These animals all have unique joints that give them the ability to burrow, climb, and dig. Ancestors of the Sloth include the Giant Ground Sloth known as the Megatherium or Megaloynx. These gigantic Sloths were thought to be the size of Elephants and were extremely vicious and used their claws as weapons. It is thought that 75 million years ago the smaller Sloths climbed into the trees and used their claws, not as weapons, but as tools to hang onto the tree limbs. This forced the animal to adapt, and was most likely due to other evolutionary changes.
Family: Bradypodidae
Genus: Bradypus
The Sloth is closley related to the Armadillo and the Anteater. But why? These animals all have unique joints that give them the ability to burrow, climb, and dig. Ancestors of the Sloth include the Giant Ground Sloth known as the Megatherium or Megaloynx. These gigantic Sloths were thought to be the size of Elephants and were extremely vicious and used their claws as weapons. It is thought that 75 million years ago the smaller Sloths climbed into the trees and used their claws, not as weapons, but as tools to hang onto the tree limbs. This forced the animal to adapt, and was most likely due to other evolutionary changes.