This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Lutheran chapter.
International Sloth Day recently passed, but there is some controversy, ironically, over the exact day. The Sloth Institute claims Oct. 18, National Geographic says Oct. 20, and my sloth calendar has it scheduled on Oct. 22. No matter the day, it’s always a good time to celebrate these majestic creatures! Let’s take a look at some cool sloth facts…in terms of the average college student.
- Slow Goin’ Sloths are infamous for their chill vibes, moving slow and taking life as it comes, similar to the everyday college student. And, just like sloths, we move fast when the occasion calls for speed…such as those moments when an essay is due in the next hour. Did you know: The scientific name for sloth is actually “Bradypus”, which means slow feet!
- Sleep All Day Sloths really like their rest, sleeping about twenty hours per day in captivity, and an average of ten in the wild. They can also sleep just about anywhere, loving to be curled up in a ball, or hanging from a tree! College kids are pretty flexible about sleep, too…a classroom table seems to work just fine.
- Play All Night The two-toed sloth is exclusively nocturnal, while the three-toed sloth is awake day and night. College students seem to function just about the same way, with some having a little more skill at all-nighters.
- And Eat Whenever Sloths actually have a four-chambered stomach which comprises a large percentage of their weight…a thing that comes in handy when all there is to do is sleep and eat. Their limited diet of leaves doesn’t give a lot of energy, and they digest really slowly. If there was a sloth college, I bet these food-loving creatures would gain the infamous Freshman 15.
- Favorite Foods Did you know sloths actually have food preferences? Whether you’re the one stealing the last few cookies from The Commons or celebrating on Mac ’n Cheese day, sloths understand your excitement. This sloth named Velcro thinks hibiscus flowers are like chocolate.
- Anti-social? Many of us wouldn’t mind the sloth life, up in the trees, away from others, with the world quiet and peaceful…as long as we get wi-fi connection and a Netflix password.
- Sort of Creepy Sloths have recently surged all over the media as something like the new cute, cuddly kitten…but it hasn’t always been that way. Just like us, they have some interesting traits.
- Yet Really Cool You can’t deny that sloths are awesome, just like you.