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Mitigating the squash effect: sloths breathe easily upside down.

Rebecca N Cliffe1, Judy A Avey-Arroyo, Francisco J Arroyo

  • 1Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, , Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.

Biology Letters
|April 25, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Three-fingered sloths have unique abdominal adhesions that prevent organs from pressing on lungs when inverted. These adhesions significantly reduce the energy sloths expend while hanging upside down, aiding survival on a low-energy diet.

Keywords:
body orientationenergeticslungsrespirationsloth

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Area of Science:

  • Mammalogy
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Sloths (Bradypus variegatus) spend significant time hanging inverted.
  • Gravity's effect on abdominal organs during inversion can increase respiratory effort.
  • Understanding adaptations for inverted posture is key to sloth physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the anatomical structures enabling sloths to hang inverted with reduced energetic cost.
  • To quantify the energy savings provided by these adaptations.

Main Methods:

  • Dissection and anatomical examination of three-fingered sloths.
  • Collection of ventilation rate and body orientation data from captive and wild sloths.
  • Application of an energetics-based model to estimate energy expenditure.

Main Results:

  • Unique fibrinous adhesions anchor abdominal organs (liver, stomach) to lower ribs in sloths.
  • Adhesions are strategically located to prevent organ pressure on the diaphragm and lungs during inversion.
  • Estimated energy expenditure reduction of nearly 13% when fully inverted.
  • Mean daily energy savings of 0.8-1.5% per individual sloth.

Conclusions:

  • These specialized adhesions are crucial for minimizing the energetic cost of inverted hanging in sloths.
  • The adaptations are vital for survival given sloths' low metabolic rate and diet.
  • This finding highlights the importance of anatomical specializations in extreme physiological niches.