Stop and be slothful

Description

In a fun Ted Talk, sloth researcher Lucy Cook says that unlike the Ferrari of Animal Kingdom, the cheetah, sloths became the athletes of digestion. So the reality is, they are not lazy or sleepy, they are just busy digesting.

This lethargic lifestyle allows the sloth to grow algae and fungi on their fur, which holds a lot of goodness.  Some species of fungi living in the sloth’s fur have been found to be active against certain strains of bacteria, parasites and even cancer!

Unfortunately, while sloths are napping and digesting, we keep ruining the Amazon RainForest, clearing the space to raise cows, or felling the trees to produce furniture and toilet paper…

What we can do to help sloths is minimize beef consumption, start using paper alternatives like products made of hemp and bamboo, and support organizations fighting against deforestation.

Also here is a crazy thought… while life is spinning fast, maybe from time to time it’s worth ‘slothing’ down and focusing on ‘digesting’ what’s around?

Fun facts about sloth:

• It can take a sloth up to one month to digest a single leaf

• The only time when sloth come down from the tree is when they need to go to the toilet

• Sloths are odorless themselves, so with algae on their fur, they smell like a plant