Sloth Predators: These 5 Animals Kill and Eat Sloths

Sloths are known for their perma-smiles and their incredibly slow movements. These furry creatures spend the majority of their lives hanging out in the trees, enjoying their leisurely lifestyles. Amazingly, they are adept swimmers and despite what you may initially think, their slow pace is actually a strength in the wild. They have a leaf-based diet which doesn’t provide them with tons of energy, so moving slowly helps them retain as much energy as feasible. Nevertheless, these animals have natural, carnivorous predators that range from big cats that stalk from the ground and manage to climb trees to birds that swoop in with great speed, removing them from the trees they call home. Below is a list of animals that both kill and eat sloths:

• Harpy eagles
• Ocelots
• Jaguars
• Margays
• Spectacled owls

What Eats Sloths?

Sloth Predators: Harpy Eagles

Scientific Name: Harpia harpyja

Harpy eagles are some of the world’s biggest and most formidable eagles. You’ve seen a grizzly’s claws — and they don’t have anything on the harpy eagle’s rear talons, which grow up to four inches long! Females can grow up to two times more than their male counterparts. They’re mostly slate but they may have some other gray colorations. Their tails are distinctive, with a base gray tone that’s decorated with horizontal black bars. Their bellies have black stripes against a lighter gray tone. On the top of their heads are long black feathers that don’t rise unless the eagle is facing some kind of threat. These eagles have black bills, yellow feet, and black talons. They are carnivores, snatching up a variety of prey, including reptiles, birds, and mammals like sloths. They fly below the forest canopy to snatch them right off trees with their talons.

Sloth Predators: Ocelots

Scientific Name: Leopardus pardalis

Ocelots are spotted cats (the largest of the bunch) with slick fur. Their colorations vary and include yellow, reddish, and gray — their spots are solid black as well as their ears, except for obvious white spots on the backs of them. These are beautiful animals with banded tails that are often mistaken for similar-looking and closely related margays. However, an ocelot can be distinguished by its larger size, smaller eyes, shorter tail, and glossier fur. Most ocelots are concentrated in Central America but make it up to the southeastern region of the United States and the northern part of Argentina. They don’t only inhabit one type of environment and can be found in tropical forests as well as savannah grasslands. These are expert hunters that use odor trails to track their prey. They’re carnivores and feast on birds, fish, reptiles, aquatic crustaceans, mollusks, and mammals like sloths.

Sloth Predators: Jaguars

Scientific Name: Panthera onca

Jaguars roam through dense, tropical environments where they have lots of cover. They may also venture through swampland and coastal forests. Jaguars thrive in these dewy environments close to water sources and it works out well for them because they’re fantastic swimmers. They hunt from the ground, stalking their prey under the cover of heavy vegetation. Not only can they swim and stalk from the ground, but they can also climb trees, which allows them to snatch up tree-dwelling creatures like sloths. These big cats have muscular builds with huge, squared jaws. Their bodies are lean despite their muscular build, and they dominate with their power, as they’re not the speediest animals. They’re distinguished by the rosette-shaped spots throughout their bodies. They are different colors, including pale yellow and reddish brown. Their bellies are light-colored.

Sloth Predators: Margays

Scientific Name: Leopardus wiedii

Margays are in terrestrial, tropical, and temperate habitats from the northern region of Mexico down to the northern part of Argentina. These are small spotted cats, often confused with ocelots. However, their bodies are typically slenderer. Their fur is tan in color, ranging from more of a gray color to more of a cinnamon color. Their spots are dark brown, and their fur is thick but soft. They eat a variety of animals, including reptiles, amphibians, birds, and, of course, mammals like sloths.

Sloth Predators: Spectacled Owls

Scientific Name: Pulsatrix perspicillata

Spectacled owls prefer tropical and temperate habitats. You can distinguish these birds by the seeming spectacles that circle their dazzling yellow eyes. Their breasts have lighter plumage that’s more on the light yellow (sometimes white) side and the upper parts of their bodies have much darker plumage, usually a deep brown color. Spectacled owls live for up to 35 years when left in their natural environments. They’re mostly nocturnal, but some are out during the day engaging in hunting behavior. These birds move fast, grabbing their prey before it even knows what’s happened. They eat birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals.

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