Merriam-Webster defines “sloth” as a “disinclination to action or labor” and “spiritual apathy and inactivity” – as in the deadly sin of sloth. All this is not exactly fair to the slow-moving arboreal edentate mammals. To be fair, the “disinclination” meaning came first. When the sloth was observed by Spanish explorers, the moniker was assigned to the animal who observed to sleep as much as 20 hours a day. What they did not notice was that the sloth is an amazing swimmer and able to hold its breath up to 40 minutes. And they may not have noticed the sloth noticing them given the sloth can rotate its head 270 degrees in either direction. Still the name stuck. So… don’t be slothful, but congratulate a sloth should you happen to meet one in the wild. Continue reading →