Skip to main content

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) become extinct before 2100 due to climate change

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) become extinct before 2100 due to climate change

NEWS - Sloths may not survive the significant temperature increases predicted to occur by 2100. The notoriously slow-moving creatures native to Central and South America may face an existential threat from climate change, researchers say.

Research examining the metabolic response of sloths to rising temperatures suggests that the animals’ energy constraints could make survival untenable by the end of the century, particularly for high-altitude populations.

Rebecca Cliffe of the Sloth Conservation Foundation in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, and colleagues investigated how Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni), which live in highland and lowland areas, respond to varying ambient temperatures.

Using indirect calorimetry, the researchers measured the sloths’ oxygen consumption and core body temperature under conditions that mimic projected climate change. The findings suggest a troubling future for sloths, particularly those living in high-altitude areas.

"Sloths are limited by their slow metabolism and inability to regulate body temperature effectively, unlike most mammals. We show that sloths, especially in high-altitude areas, may not be able to survive the significant temperature increases predicted to occur by 2100," Cliffe said.

Original research

Cliffe RN, Ewart HE, Scantlebury DM, Kennedy S, Avey-Arroyo J, Mindich D, Wilson RP. (2024). Sloth metabolism may make survival untenable under climate change scenarios. PeerJ 12:e18168, DOI:10.7717/peerj.18168

Dlium theDlium

Popular Posts

Mashpi walkingstick (Trychopeplus mashpiensis) from Chocó, Ecuador, based on males, females and eggs

NEWS - Researchers report Mashpi walkingstick ( Trychopeplus mashpiensis Conle, Valero & Hennemann, sp. nov.) from the Chocó ecoregion of northwestern Ecuador is new to science based on its unique body ornamentation and egg structure morphology. Trychopeplus Shelford 1909 is a genus of Neotropical stick insects (Phasmida Leach 1815) known for its remarkable morphological adaptations that allow it to blend in almost perfectly with epiphytic lichens in its habitat. These adaptations make Trychopeplus one of the most cryptic stick insect genera. The genus was described to distinguish the Neotropical species from Pericentrus Redtenbacher 1908 based on morphological differences and distinct geographic distribution compared to the type species Pericentrus moewisi Redtenbacher 1908. Pericentrus is known to be restricted to East and South Asia, whereas Trychopeplus is endemic to the Neotropics. Oskar Conle from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Germany, Pablo Valero from the Un...

Giant shield bug (Pycanum alternatum)

Giant shield bug or pycanum rubens ( Pycanum alternatum ) is a species of animal in Tessaratomidae, has a large shield covering the back, shiny green-blue-brown colored and appears to have a powder or wax layer, inhabiting the leaves of plants in open forests or bushes . P. alternatum is also called a stink bug because of its ability to release pungent aromas when disturbed. These insects live solitary with a partner and usually the mother gather in a family together in nymphs. White eggs are attached under the leaves of the plant. Nymphs can be found in the same host as their parent. The nymph has a flat rectangular shape with a large vein in the middle like a flat leaf. Nymphs having striking colors are light green, orange and red. Color may represent various stages of development or gender. The initial stage has a small size and red color. It grows in a bigger size and turns orange then ends in green. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemipter...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...