The green tint of the algae helps sloths blend in to their leafy surroundings, but it also invites ticks, mites, beetles, moths and other creepy crawlies to the party. This little ecosystem created by the algae is so unique that some species, like the sloth moth, live exclusively on sloth fur!
Why is the Sloth’s tail green?
Well, this green color is actually algae and there is a reason that it is there – a sloth and algae symbiotic relationship exists and I will go into more details regarding that in this article.
How does green algae help a sloth?
This green algae helps a sloth by providing it with a great deal of camouflage to help protect them against predators. They can also snack on the creatures living in them too. Findings have shown that this green algae could be used in the important fight against a number of illnesses and diseases.
Is there a symbiotic relationship between sloths and algae?
Sloth fur has symbiotic relationship with green algae. This species of algae is host specific and has not been found to occur in any other environment. This finding adds strong support to the hypothesis that there is a co-evolutionary relationship between the sloths and the algae of the genus Trichophilus, which may well only exist as a symbiont.
How are sloths camouflaged?
Sloths are camouflaged by the blue-green algae that grows on the grooves between their coarse hair. The algae helps disguise the sloth among the trees, and the sloth provides the algae shelter and water — a symbiotic relationship. The algae creates a unique ecosystem where other organisms live, too. What’s special about sloths’ body design ?
Why are sloths so hard to snuggle?
And despite their slow movements, sloths are surprisingly strong. And there are other reasons not to snuggle up to a sloth. Each strand of a sloth’s coarse fur has grooves that run from top to bottom where two types of blue-green algae grow.