Featured animal: Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

 

Hyena. An animal that to many suggests cowardice, stupidity and laziness. Infamous as scavengers and grave robbers, Hyenas are feared and detested worldwide. Some see them as harbringers of evil or bad luck, whereas a few brave people actually tame them and keep them as pets. Whatever your views may be, I hope that this post will change a few minds about hyenas and the negative stigma attatched to them. This post will focus on the largest of the extanct hyena family,the Spotted Hyena. 

Basic Information

The spotted hyena is native to Sub Saharan Africa, and is most at home on the open savannah plains. Though they look vaugely dog like, hyenas are in fact a "feliform", a suborder of "cat like" carnivores. Thus, hyenas are in fact more closely related to cats and mongooses than dogs. The Spotted Hyena is a stocky animal around the same size as a wolf, with a thick neck, a large bulky head and long legs. The front legs of all Hyena species are a fair bit longer than their hind legs, which gives them a slightly sloped stance when walking. The coat of the Spotted Hyena is coarse, and can vary in colour from pale cream, to dark brown. The coat is variably spotted, as are the limbs. All hyena species have a crest running down their back, though the spotted's crest is generally not as large as the smaller heyena species. All the hyena species posess a scent gland just inside their rectum which is used to deposit a sticky liquid to mark territories.

The head of the Spotted Hyena is large, with rounded ears and a broad snout. The Spotted Hyena's teeth are excellently designed for crushing bone, and coupled with strong jaw muscles, the Spotted Hyena has a stronger bone crushing force than that of a brown bear. 

Spotted Hyena have good hearing,eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. Their eyes work better in lower light conditions, giving them good night vision. 

Spotted Hyenas are the most vocal of all the hyena species, and produce a wide variety of sounds, including the famous "laughing" sound. This sound is made when a hyena is nervous, rather than when they're amused. As well as this, Spotted hyenas use a variety of barks, whoops and howls to communicate with one another. Spotted Hyena have been known to emit alarm calls whilst feeding, as an attempt to prevent other hyenas approaching and trying to steal the kill. 

Unusually amongst mammals, the females of this species are larger, and more agressive than males. In historical times, scientists assumed that hyenas were hermaphrodites, due to the females have a "pseudo scrotum", and no external vagina, and so instead urinate, mate and give birth via this appendage. Even today, scientists have some trouble when sexing hyena, as in 2007 a pair of "male" Spotted Hyena at Monarto Zoo Australia, produced cubs! (Vets at Monarto Zoo also performed the first succesful ceaserian section of a Spotted Hyena earlier this year.)

Social behaviour

 Spotted Hyenas are the most sociable of the four hyena species, and live in loose groups known as "clans". Clans are female lead, and females in a clan are often related, whilst males will leave their birth clan to find another once they reach maturity. Clans are not fixed groups like wolf packs, and individuals will often hunt alone or roam throughout the clan's territory. Clans will often reside round abandoned burrows of Aardvarks or Warthogs, and it is within these burrows that cubs are brought together and nursed.

Clan society is highly ranked with females at the top of the hierachy, with even the lowest ranked females higher in status than the highest males of a group.

Spotted hyena cubs are born well developed, with their eyes open and already with a small set of teeth. Litters tend to be one or two cubs but the youngsters will begin fighting with one another shortly after birth, which can often end in the death of one sibling.Given that hyena cubs are so formidable, mother hyenas must be particularly tough!

Spotted hyenas in captivity have lived up to 25 years.

Diet & Hunting

Spotted Hyena are primarily carnivorous, and are highly effective hunters. Though given a reputation as a cowardly scavenger, Spotted Hyena hunt a range of prey, either alone or cooperatively. Smaller prey such as gazelle or rodents are hunted alone, whilst small groups will tackle wildebeest and antelope. Large groups of Hyena may even tackle young buffalo. Hunting is generally a rather slow affair, as Hyenas are not swift sprinters, but are more efficient over long distances. Hunting parties call to one another once they've spotted prey, and after a long chase begin eating their prey as soon as it has begun to fall to the ground. Spotted Hyena are not fussy eaters, and will totally clear a carcass, including horns, bones and skin. This makes them very efficent predators, as 100% of a kill will be eaten. When a clan makes a kill, the higher ranking members are naturally the first to feed, and the clan will consume as a carcass as quickly as possible before other hyenas or lions show up. Spotted Hyenas are very effective hunters, and will make succesful hunts more often than lions and other big cats.

As well as hunting, Hyenas will scavenge from carcasses, and will often watch circling vultures to help locate carrion. With their powerful teeth and crushing jaws, hyenas are excellently designed as scavengers, as they can eat all the tougher parts of an animal that other predators are not equipped to deal with. Subsequently, hyenas (along with other scavengers) are incredibly useful to the ecosystem. This scavenging behaviour has given hyenas of all species a bad reputation, as it was thought for many years that these creatures only fed from kills made by other predators.

Lions and Spotted Hyenas occupy the same ecological niche, and thus compete with one another for prey, due to their similar diet. Hyenas have a reputation for stealing lion kills, but it's quite often the other way round as well. The two species are renowned for acting agressivly towards one another, even without food around. 

Hyenas & humans

Hyenas and humans have a long history together. During the late Stone Age, early humans would have encountered Hyenas both in Africa and Europe. A much larger version of the Spotted Hyena, the Cave Hyena was present in Europe, and has been portrayed in some early rock art. Humans would have competed with these hyenas for both food and shelter, and eventually this species was driven to extinction. 

Throughout Western history, Hyenas have been associated with stupidity, greed and cowardice. African historical traditions vary greatly, some holding the hyena as a sacred creature, others as villans and tricksters. Due to the fact that Spotted Hyenas will often dig up corpses from graves, they've long been assosiated with death and bad spirits, and form an important part in many folklore in many countries.

Like most predators, Hyenas are shy of humans, but often come  into conflict with one another. The taking of livestock, occasional attacks on people, and reputed eating of human corpses has led to persecution of Spotted Hyena in some areas. Early scientists believed Spotted Hyenas to be hermaphrodites, and for centuries they were belived to be "unholy" creatures, and had a negative stigma attatched to them.  

In more recent times, Hyenas have been portrayed (incorrectly) in films such as "The Lion King" as idiotic, food obsessed villans, which has unfortunatley swayed the opinions of generations of children, who've grown up to belive Hyenas as the bane of the natural world. (See my comment on lions stealing kills from hyenas, how does that fit in your "circle of life" now Disney?)

Despite being associated with stupidity, Spotted Hyenas are reputedly quite intelligent, and captive animals have been observed cooperating together on problem solving tests. As well as this, scientific studies suggest that hyenas actually plan in advance which prey they are to hunt, and will display certain behaviours before specific hunts. Other reports suggest that Hyenas that have escaped traps or snares show an increased wariness of humans.Emminent Primateologist Dr Jane Goodall has stated that if she'd had the chance to go back and study another animal in depth as she had done with chimpanzees, she'd choose the Spotted Hyena, and she believes they are potentially as intelligent as Chimpanzees.

Hyenas in captivity

The best place to see Hyenas of any speces would be on safari in Africa, however, many of us have to settle for seeing them (along with many other animal species) in zoos. All species of hyena are currently displayed in captivity in Europe, with the Spotted being most commonly held. In the UK, we currently have all four species, but these are pretty few and far between. The only Spotted Hyenas can be seen at Colchester Zoo. There is a fair smattering of Hyenas kept in North America (the first Spotted Hyena I ever saw was at Toronto Zoo, Canada), and I belive that there are a few kept in zoos across Asia and Australasia.

Hopefully this post will change a few conceptions about Hyenas, and maybe one day the world will be a more hyena friendly place (I doubt it!)

For more information on Hyenas I would suggest:

"Hyena" by Mikita Brottman, published by Reakton Books.
"The life of Mammals" by David Attenborough

Many thanks for reading!

Featured Animal: Common Cusimanse

Common Cusimanse

Crossarchus Obscurus

 

  Time for another animal feature. This post will focus on a member of the mongoose family, the Cusimanse. 

Cusimanse are small mongoose with pointed noses, and short tails. They are slightly more stocky than most other mongoose, and have a long narrow nose, rather than the more broad face that other mongoose species have. 

 The cusimanse is native to Central and Western Africa, with the common species residing in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Like other mongoose species, the cusimanse is primarily a carnivore, feeding on insects and invertibrates, as well as small reptiles and rodents. They have excellent eyesight and hearing, as well as a highly sensitive sense of smell, making them formidible little hunters. 

Much like their other members of the mongoose family, Cusimanse are highly sociable little creatures, who live in nomadic family groups. Cusimanse prefer a wooded habitat, rather than sprawling open grasslands. If necessary they can climb fairly well, but will more often defend itself against intruders or predators. 

I've only seen Cusimanse in captivity twice before, and they seem pretty poorly represented in European zoos and wildlife parks, with the much more popular Meerkat being seen in many more facilities. 

Recently, I had the luck of seeing Paignton Zoo's small family of cusimanse (complete with four youngsters) actively foraging round their enclosure. They family continually "chattered" to one another, which is a way of keeping in contact with one another in dense woodland. It was nice to see the four babies too, who were tended to by all the adult members of the group. 

The cusimanse is an enchanting little creature (I prefer them to their relatives the meerkat anyday...), that's pretty much unknown to the general public. Hopefully in years to come this little animals populatiry will grow and we'll see a few more of them in zoos and wildlife parks. 

 

Rush 26/05/2013

"In a world where I feel so small, I can't help thinking big"

 

Following on from Saturday night's incredible gig in London, I was off to Birmingham to see band number two of the weekend; Rush.

 Rush, are most certainly my favourite band of all time. I was first introduced to them at around the age of 15, and they are the first band I really "got", so they really are "my" band. As well as loving their music, their drummer (Neil Peart) is my biggest influence as a musician, and I feel (I hope!) that my drumming style is similar to his.

 Sunday's gig was part of their Clockwork Angels tour, which started late last year in North America. They got back on the road again in late April time, before making their way over to the UK on the 22nd of May. Sunday's venue was the Birmingham LG arena, which is a largeish indoor arena connected onto the NEC and nearby to Birmingham International Airport. I saw the band here back in 2011 for their "Time Machine tour", which was my first "proper" gig, so I was very much excited to see them again, at the same venue. 

"Drawn like moths, we drift into the city, the timeless old attraction, cruising for the action"

Having arrived in Birmingham around quarter past two, I checked into my hotel on site. I was staying at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole, which I'd expected to be pretty pricey, but for a mere £33, it was a bargain! My dad (the only person I could ever see a Rush gig with, he introduced me to them!) arrived at around half three, and after a meal we headed to the arena. 

Once inside, the Lg is very clean and modern looking. It has plenty of food outlets (we avoided these, knowing how pricey these places can be), instead having a beer each. Soon enough, we were inside the arena, and in our seats. This time were on the right hand side of the arena (Geddy's side) which was different to last time, so we were both looking forward to having a different view of the band. 

Once again, a nice small venue.

At half past seven, it all kicked off.

Set 1: Subdivisions

       Big Money

       Force Ten

       Grand Designs

       Middletown Dreams

       Territories

       The Analog Kid

       The Pass

       Where's My Thing? (Including short drum solo)

       Far Cry

Set 2 (with Clockwork Angels string ensemble):

       

      Caravan

      Clockwork Angels

      The Anarchist

      Carnies

      The Wreckers

      Headlong Flight (With short drum solo)

      Halo Effect (Long guitar intro) 

      Wish Them Well

      The Garden

      Dreamline

      The Percussor (Electronic percussion solo)

      Red Sector A

      YYZ

      Spirit of Radio (No strings)

      Tom Sawyer

      2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx/Grand Finale

"Attention all planets of the Solar Federation: We have assumed control"

 Rush are known for their long show times (3 hours usually) and the shows on this tour are no different. For the first time ever(?) the set actually changes each night, with four specific songs being alternated on different nights. As well as alternating songs in the set, this tour's setlist is very interesting as they'e avoided playing all the "classics", and instead have delved deep into their song catalog, and brought out plenty of rarities from the past. For example, the songs "Middletown Dreams" and "Where's My Thing?" were only ever played on their respective album tours before (1985/6 & 1991/2) before being revived for this tour. 

As well as all the oldies, the second set for this tour is mostly filled with songs from their most recent album "Clockwork Angels". This album tells the story of a young man's life, and the perils and adventures he faces in his world. This album features the use of a small string ensemble, who also came on tour. The string arrangements were wonderful, and complemented the band excellently, as well as the new string arrangements for the three older songs they accompanied (Dreamline, Red Sector A, YYZ) 

"Dreams flow across the heartland, feeding on the fires. Dreams transport desires, drive you when you're down"

Setwise, I was very happy with it, as it featured plenty of tracks from the bands mid 80's era, which is often shunned by some "fans" because it contains too many keyboards and synths. Heavier songs such as "Far Cry", "Headling Flight" and "2112" were explosive (as expected) whilst the more subtle songs such as "The Pass" and "The Garden" were played beautifully. My absolute favourite moment of the whole night was when "The Garden" and "Dreamline" were played, one after each other, as these are some of my favourite songs. I felt my self getting a bit emotional at it all! 

Playing wise, the band were on top form. Alex had a few issues with his in ear monitors, but still performed with his usual sophistication. Geddy's bass playing was top notch as usual, and his voice (which usually get the main critiscism, and has been dodgy in previous tours) was stronger than ever, and he was on excellent form. Neil was flawless as expected, and it was nice to hear him do three shorter drum solos, rather than one long one. 

The string players should also get a mention as they were all wonderful, and it was great to see them interact with the band. They also seemed to be really enjoying themselves, which is always great to see. 

"Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive, plays that song that's so elusive and the magic music makes your morning mood"

 As expected, the audience were pretty static, which I felt slightly annoyed by, as the band really deserved more noise and recognition from the people who'd come out to see them! I've also seen plenty of so called "fans" complaining about the setlist, saying that it didn't contain enough "classics". If they wanted to hear classics, they should've stayed at home, let the band play what THEY want to play is my view!

 All in all, a great evening, with some wonderful music. Not as pyrotechnics heavy, or energetic as Muse, but musically and emotionally much more powerful.

With a bit of luck, I'll see them in a few more years before they finally take well earned retirement! 

 

"They travel in the dark of a new moon, a starry hightway traced on the map of the sky..."

    

      

  

Muse 25/05/2013

"Come ride with me, through the veins of history"

 

This weekend (may 25th/26th) has been incredible. I've seen my two favourite bands of all time one day after each other. Saturday was the UK's Muse, on the second night of their "Unsustainable Tour". 

I've seen Muse once before, back in october last year, at the O2 arena in London. This time however, they were at the Emirates Stadium, and I was standing, rather than "seated"!

A nice small, intimate venue!

 Set: Supremacy (2nd Law Unsustainable vocal intro)

      Supermassive BlackHole

             Panic Station

      Bliss

      Resistance

      Animals

      Knights of Cydonia

      Drum & Bass Jam

      United States of Eurasia

      Dead Star

      Monty Jam

      Feeling Good

      Follow Me

      Liquid State

      Madness

      Time is Running Out

      New Born

   

      Unintended

      Blackout 

      Guiding Light

      Undisclosed Desires

      2nd Law: Unsustainable

      Plug in Baby

      Survival

      2nd Law: Isolated System

      Uprising

      Starlight

Muse are renowned for their extravagant live shows, and this tour certainly doesn't dissapoint. The stage was massive, with six huge flame spouting chimmneys, and huge screens. Pyrotechnics played a large part in the show, and even though were in the middle of the standing area, we could feel the heat of the flames from quite a distance away. As well as tonnes of fire, we were also treated to a giant floating lightbulb, complete with suspended ballarenia, which sailed over the audience during Blackout. During Unsustainable, a giant robot, complete with menacing red eyes appeared on stage.

The set was pretty similar to last year's tour, but there were a few songs thrown in that I didn't hear last time (Bliss, Dead Star, United States, Unintended, Blackout, Guiding Light) and it was nice to see the return of the more chilled songs of Blackout and Unintended. Aside from a minor slip up during Supermassive BlackHole (Matt and Chris didn't actually start playing, Matt shouted "FUCK!" and they restarted) the boys' playing was excellent, and the sound quality was much better than last time. 

They also had lights. Lots and lots of lights.

 After two and a half hours of driving rock beats, balls of flame and guitar throwing, the show finally ended, and several thousand people all tried to squeeze their way through the small doors of the Emirates Stadium.

All in all, a fantastic gig with an excellent stage set up and some great playing by the band. The audience too were in good spirits, which really helped round of a great night. Tomorrow night's band would need to pull out all the stops to impress me more than Muse's performance did....

Eden Project May 2013

Paradise found(rediscovered)?

As a resident of Cornwall during my university terms, I've thought for a long time that I really ought to get round to visiting the Eden Project. My mum came down to visit Cornwall for a few days earlier this week, and she'd also expressed a want to visit, so we decided that we'd pay it a visit...

The Eden Project is built in an old clay pit in between the towns of St Blazey and St Austell. Work began in 1999, and took two and a half years to finish construction. The facility aims to provide environmental education, especially on the relationship between plants and people. 

We arrived at around half 11 on a rather grey and drizzly Wednesday, and set off down a hill towards the entrance. The main entrance complex features a cafe and shop, both of which sell locally sourced food and gifts. 

Having paid, and passed through the entrance complex, we headed down a steep winding path towards the large "biomes" which are huge greenhouse like (but not greenhouses as such) structures which contain artifical habitats inside. 

 The first biome we entered was the "Mediterranean" dome, which housed plants from temperate regions of the world. Firstly, the name "Mediterranean" is misleading, as there are plants here from South Africa and California, as well as Greece and Italy. Succulents such as aloe and cacti are grown here as well as several other temperate species such as olive and citrus trees along with several grasses and other plants adapted for arid conditions. 

This biome also features several sculptures depicting the Greek God Dionysus, the God of wine and merrymaking which are located in the biome's vineyard. 

 

Continuing on from the Mediterranean biome, we entered the Rainforest Biome, the larger of the two. This biome is heated and humid, to replicate a real rainforest. Having visited the rainforest in Ecuador, I certainly felt that the Eden project's rainforest was an excellent reproduction of a steamy jungle. 

The planting is lush and dense, and the high roof allows the trees and plants room to grow upwards, creating a decent canopy. A large waterfall cascades down one side, and runs down through the foliage into a pool. Fruit trees such as fig, mango and bannana are planted throughout, as well as huge clumps of bamboo, and many species of palm. 

 

 The main highlight of the Rainforest biome for me was the raised walkway which allows for amazing views right above the canopy of the whole biome. After climbing up the suspended staircase, there is a large central platform which gives a panoramic view from up above. From up here you can see the biome's tallest tree, the Kapok. 

Another large plant found in the rainforest biome is the Titun Arum (a name coined by Sir David Attenborough incidentally), which grows in the forests of Sumatra and is "a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world). Basically, it's a plant with a big flower like thing that isn't really a flower, but it's big and when it does flower, it stinks of rotting flesh. Eden's Arum wasn't in flower just yet (though they rekon it will in a few days), and thought they don't consider this years plant to be that big (it's nearly taller than me, at 5'9) however next years plant may possibly break world records.

View from the raised platform

I certainly feel that the rainforest biome is an excellent representation of a tropical rainforest, but I couldn't help thinking that it was missing few things (hordes of buzzing, biting insects for one) and I felt that it could be enhanced by a few butterflies and a smattering of bird species (there are roul roul partridge and a small insectivore bird species roaming the biome, but we didn't see any) to really add a "wild" feel. 

After the two biomes, we headed back outside through the medicinal gardens, and passed WEEE Man, who is a large structure made out of discarded electrical appliances. We then entered "The Core" which focusses on the environment, climate change and sustainability. "The Core" is also home to a huge sculpture of a seed, which represents the building blocks of life. 

The Eden project also hosts "Eden Sessions" which are a series of concerts held in one of the domes. 

All in all, the Eden project is certainly considered a "must see" by many,and I found it a good day out. Having bought a ticket, each visitor can get an annual pass for no extra fee, which allows for free entry for a year. Personally I think this is a pretty good idea, especially as it is rather costly to get in! I'll be heading back sometime early next year to see the new treetops walkway is in the rainforest biome. 

Rainforest biome, Mediterranean biome and The Core

Falmouth Coastline May 2013

Castle Beach to Pendennis Castle

 

With the recent good weather, I've spent a lot more time out in the the great outdoors. Today (Saturday) was no different, and as usual I made my way down to Castle Beach. 

There are several beaches nearby to where I live in Falmouth, Gyllyngvase (Gylly) and Swanpool are the closest and most popular due to them being sandy and easy to get to. Maenporth is another sandy beach, but is a two mile walk along a rugged coastal path. 

Unlike the others, Castle Beach is a much more "wild" beach, and is rocky rather than sandy. I personally prefer rocky beaches, due to there usually being less people and more wildlife on them!

I set out for Castle Beach around 14:00, with the intention to sit on the rocks and do nothing all day. This however, didn't last long. 

Castle Beach - A proper beach!

 Once I'd got to the beach and settled down on a handy ledge, I noticed a pair of Cormorants sunning themselves on a rock in the shallows. I've seen Cormorants before from a distance, so I was interested to see them a little closer. Having grabbed my trusty camera, I moved a forward to try and photograph them. I got a few dodgy shots, when suddenly they both decided to leap into the sea and do a little hunting. I've never seen them hunt before either, so it was interesting to see them in action. They would bob along the surface for a while, and stick their heads below the surface, presumabley to find prey, before diving down after it. 

Not great, but the best I could do!

 Having watched the Cormorants for a while I decided that I was actually going to do something with my day, rather than just sit on a rock.

Sea Anemone

I gathered up my bag, and set off along the beach, checking out the rock pools along the way. Rock pools are fascinating little environments, home to a wide array of creatures ranging from crabs to Sea Anemones to small fish. Castle Beach's rock pools didn't dissapoint, and I saw plenty of wildlife as I made my way across towards the steps up to Pendennis Castle. 

Once I'd made my way up the steps I was at Pendennis Point, a large outcrop of jaggedy coastline, with Pendennis Castle built on top. The surrounding land is lush and wooded, and there is a large car park and public pathways. I took one of these pathways down towards to rocks, and soon found myself on a huge area of rock pools, intersected with channels of water. 

The quantity of life here was huge too, and I saw several fish lurking in the larger pools, as well as the usual Anemones and barnacles. Out here too, there were goups of mussels living in large clumps. Further along the rocks, I was right at the tide's edge, faced with open water. 
I turned back towards the coastline, and continued along it, passed the castle. Along the way, I stopped to look in each of the rock pools, when a sudden movement caught my eye, and I saw two small birds picking their way through the water. 
I'd not planned on bird watching today (dressing in a bright red t shirt certainly didn't help!) but I ended up spending quite a while watching these two little birds foraging in the shallows. I didn't recognise the species, and made a mental note to find out what they were later. 

After some research, I belive the two little waders were Dunlin. These two certainly weren't afraid of me, and allowed me to get quite close to them. To get closer to them however, I ended up sliding down the rocks - most undignified!

Dunlin

I continued on, following the rocky shoreline, and found it to be pretty much empty as I carried on. The rocks made the walk eventful, and I really did have to pay attention as to where I was putting my feet. Some rocks were slippy, others jagged, and some required a little climbing!

Carrying on I found a few isolated sandy beaches, which were rather picturesque and very tranquil due to the lack of people! Further on, I spotted more birds. A pair of Oystercatchers flew overhead, but my main attentions were given to another species I was unfamiliar with. These two birds looked similar to the Dunlin, but were smaller, and had shorter beaks. These were more skittish than the Dunlin, so I had to be quick to photograph them for identification later. 
According to the RSPB website, it seems these birds are called "Turnstones" a name given to them  because they must turn stones with their beaks when foraging for crustaceans and other aquatic prey. 

I carried on along the coastline, until it promptly stopped and I was confronted with a large gate saying "Private property. No Public Right of Way" which was my cue to turn around and make my way back.

All in all, a succesful day's explore and I also took some pictures that I'm pretty happy with. Two new bird species seen too, so a very good day!

Featured Animal: Two Toed Sloth

 

 Two Toed Sloth 

 

So, time for a creature feature!

In recent months, the internet has gone crazy for sloths. Pictures and memes featuring these fuzzy critters have popped up everywhere, and the internet seems obsessed by them.

 

Linnaeus' Two Toed Sloth

Sloths are members of the family Xenarthra, which consists of armadillos, anteaters and of course, sloths. Members of this family are only found in the Americas, and are all pretty bizarre. 

  Found throughout the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, sloths spend their lives hanging from the branches of trees. 

They are considered to be foliovores, due to the majority of their diet being leaves. Fruit is also occasionally taken, but leaves are the bulk of their diet. A sloth's digestive system is well evolved to slowly break down leaves, which are pretty undigestible, and hold very little in the way of nutrition. Because of this slow digestive process, the sloth has very little energy (or need) to do much at all. 

Sloths are perfectly adapted to an upside down arboreal lifestyle. Their large hooked claws help them grip onto branches, and aid them in reaching leaves to feed from. The sloth's internal organs are also arranged "upside down" inside to compensate for the reversed lifestyle. The coat of a sloth is usually home to algae and other small organisms which grow or live in the fur of the largly dormant animal. A slight coating of algae also helps camoflage the sloth.

 Sloths famously only come down from the trees to poo, and this is on average of once a week. The sloth slowly crawls down its tree, does its business, covers it with dirt, then slowly makes its way back up again. It is during this time that the sloth is most vulnerable to predation, mainly from jaguars. Harpy Eagles are also reported to have snatched sloths from branches. 

So there we have it; the sloth, a leaf eating, algae infested bundle of fur that defacates once a week.