Linnaeus's two-toed sloth

The real two-toed sloth reaches a head-body length of 54 to 88 cm, the extremely short and hardly movable tail is between 0.9 and 2 cm long. The weight varies from 6.5 to 11.8 kg. The real two-toed sloth is thus slightly larger than its relative, the Hoffmann two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). The differences between the sexes are small, so the females are slightly larger than the males. The head is generally small, but unlike the three-toed sloths it is longer. It generally has a rounded profile. The ears are small, around 2.8 cm long and not visible from the outside. The fur has only one layer, the top coat with up to 17 cm long hair. It is usually gray-brown in color, with the belly often appearing lighter than the back. The face is light brown and hairless and has a leathery texture. Depending on the incidence of light, especially in the rainy season, the fur shimmers slightly greenish. This goes back to a symbiosis with algae that live in the fur, whereby this symbiosis partly serves as camouflage against predators. The head of the fur is not on the back like other mammals, but on the belly like other sloths. This ensures that the rainwater can drain off better. The limbs are extremely long and end in two beams at the front and three at the back. These are about the same length and have long, curved claws. The hind foot length is up to 14.8 cm.