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The Furry Ecosystem of Algae, Moths and Sloth Feces

Biologists puzzle over the fact that sloths descend from their trees to poop. The behavior might support a rare mutualism with algae and moths that live in the creatures' fur.

By Darren Incorvaia
Apr 12, 2022 8:30 PMApr 12, 2022 8:26 PM
A sloth in Costa Rica
(Credit: Martina Clerc/Shutterstock)

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Humans generally don’t like it when things grow on them, whether it’s a bacterial infection, a cancerous tumor, or, for parents, the latest Cocomelon song. But it’s a different story for our mammalian relative the sloth; not only do sloths not mind things growing on them, they actively encourage it in one of the most striking mutualisms known to biology.

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