It turns out that sloths do fart after all.
Zoologist and founder of the Sloth Appreciation Society, Lucy Cooke, once gave a delightful TED talk about sloths. She defended the notably unhurried creatures against the disparaging words of a Spanish conquistador who said about them, "The stupidest animal that can be found in the world…I have never seen such an ugly animal or one that is more useless." She also shared that the giant sloth, an extinct ancestor of the modern sloth, may be why we have avocados.
While extolling the virtues of the sloth, Cooke shared the widely held scientific belief that sloths don't fart. "When they need to expel gas," she said, "it's actually reabsorbed into their bloodstream and expelled orally as a sort of mouth fart," much to the amusement of the audience. Then new evidence came to light, prompting her to issue a retraction.
In an Instagram post shared by Cooke, an adorable two-toed sloth is seen chilling, partially submerged in a bath, when some distinct bubbles emerge from its nether regions. The video, shared with Cooke by a wildlife vet and fellow sloth enthusiast in Costa Rica, clearly shows that sloths do indeed fart. When someone inevitably publishes a paper on sloth farts, it will surely be worthy of consideration for an Ig Nobel.
Previously:
• Watch a kind human transport a sloth to safety
• Sloth ASMR: Listen to this gorgeous two-toed sloth crunching his way through a pile of sugar snap peas
• How to build more sloth-friendly cities
