Sloth

The sloth's name suits[1] it perfectly, seeing it move about so slowly, nothing seems to upset it. And watching it, you wonder how such a slow animal can survive in the huge forest of South America. In fact, the sloth's hesitant movements ensure its survival. Hidden in the tree tops of tall trees, motionless most of the time. No one pays any attention to it. Also its grayish brown fur with its greenish hues form an excellent camouflage[2]. The sloth's motto could well be to live happily, live in hiding. To feed itself, the sloth has invented home catering[3]. Well, just imagine, it lives right in its food among the leaves that it loves so much. And in this way it avoids as much as possible having to go down to the ground, where it is obviously not at all comfortable. Hanging solidly from a branch thanks to its powerful claws[4]. All the sloth has to do to reach its favorite food is to stretch its neck. You could almost say, that the leaves, flowers, buds and fruits practically grow in its mouth. So for what reason would it need to move around any faster? Perched up in tall trees, hidden from predators, with as much food that it wants, the sloth has no reason to be in a hurry. On the contrary, it has learned to take its time[5] which is also a way of living quite happily.

树獭

　　三趾树獭的名字跟它配合的太棒了。看它慢吞吞地移动，似乎没有什麽事情可以困扰它。仔细地看呢，你不禁要问它的速度这麽慢，如何在南的丛林中生存呢？事实上，三趾树獭的慢动作确保了它的生存。多数时候三趾树獭是隐藏在树梢上一动也不动的，没有任何人会注意到它。而且，它的淡棕色毛皮和成绿色的背景色构成了绝佳的掩护。三趾树獭的座右铭应该是活得快乐，隐居式的生活。为了填饱肚子，三趾树獭发明了“在家开火”： 想象一下，它就生活在它所喜爱的粮食树上，如此就避免到显然不太安全的地面上活动了。感谢它强而有力的爪子，能让它稳稳地挂在树枝上。三趾树獭必须做的事就是伸长脖子找最爱吃的果树了。你几乎可以这样说树、花、芽还有果实事实上全长在它的嘴里。有了这些理由还需要动作敏捷吗？吊挂在高枝上，远离掠食者，还有这麽多的食物在口边，三趾树獭没有必要急匆匆的。 吊挂在高枝上，远离掠食者，还有这麽多的食物在口边，相反的，它学会了凡事按部就班慢慢地来，生活得很温馨。