Sloths may be pushed to their metabolic limits by global crisis
By StudyFinds Staff
Reviewed by Steve Fink
Research led by Rebecca Cliffe, Swansea University
Oct 05, 2024
SWANSEA, United Kingdom — In the lush rainforests of Central and South America, sloths have perfected the art of energy conservation. These slow-moving mammals have evolved to exist on an extremely low-calorie diet, operating within a finely tuned energy budget where minimal expenditure is linked to minimal energy intake. But as our planet warms, this balance may be disrupted, potentially pushing some sloth populations to their metabolic limits.
A study led by Rebecca N. Cliffe and her colleagues from the Sloth Conservation Foundation and Swansea University has revealed that climate change could have profound implications for the survival of sloth populations, particularly those living in high-altitude regions. The research, published in PeerJ, demonstrates that sloths from different altitudes respond differently to temperature changes, with highland sloths potentially facing an uncertain future in a warming world.
Sloths are known for their incredibly slow metabolism, which is about 39% lower than what would be expected for a mammal of their size, according to general mammalian predictions. This adaptation allows them to subsist on a diet of low-nutrient leaves, but it also means they have little energy to spare. Sloths are presumed to exist within a narrow and finely tuned energy budget, which, combined with their limited ability to move to new areas, means that even small changes in temperature could have significant impacts on their survival.
https://studyfinds.org/sloths-metabolic-limits-climate/
