Why Is a Sloth Called Lazy?

A sloth is a small South American mammal which moves about very slowly, when it moves at all. It is considered a sluggish, or lazy, animal because of this, but scientists say that this sluggishness is caused by the sloth's very low body temperature.

Sloths spend most of their time in trees and seldom come down to the ground. They walk upside down, hanging from branches by their hooklike claws, and feed on leaves, buds, and young twigs. Once their hunger is satisfied, they even fall asleep in that same upside-down position and sleep up to 18 hours a day.

Sloths have been known to hang suspended in trees even after they're dead!