Tag Archive for 'Choloepus'

The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). Image credit: Camila Mazzoni.

Two-Toed Sloths May Be Three Distinct Species, New Research Suggests

Apr 29, 2026 by Natali Anderson

A comprehensive genome-wide analysis of Amazonian two-toed sloths (genus Choloepus) suggests the animals are more genetically diverse than once believed,...

Extant and extinct sloths: in the tree, going clockwise from left -- extinct West Indian sloth (Acratocnus), extant three-fingered sloth or ai (Bradypus), and extant two-fingered sloth or unau (Choloepus); from left to right on the ground are representative giant ground sloths -- Mylodon (South America), Megalonyx (North America), and Megatherium (South America). According to the new molecular studies, Bradypus is most closely related to a group that includes Megalonyx and Megatherium. Choloepus is related to Mylodon, but Acratocnus and its West Indian kin represent a separate branch that is distinct from that of all other sloths. Human for scale: 1.85 m. Image credit: Jorge Blanco.

DNA and Protein Studies Shake Up Sloth Family Tree

Jun 7, 2019 by News Staff

Sloths once roamed the Americas, ranging from cat-sized animals that lived in trees all the way up to giant ground sloths. The only species we know today,...