The slowest animal in the world is sloth. They generally have lower metabolic rates and save energy. These naive and slow animals use survival strategies such as camouflage to hide from predators and stay safe. There is a whole hidden world of the slowest animals. Read along, and you’ll find the animals that move slowly with no hurries and are living a peaceful life! And that’s all needed in life!
Which Is The Slowest Animal in The World?
Three-toed sloth holds the record of being the slowest animal in the world. It spends days hanging out in trees and nibbling on leaves. You might be shocked to read this, but the fact is sloths can sleep straight 15 to 20 hours a day!
Slow Animals List:
While being fast is important in many aspects of animal life. But sometimes, not only is it okay to be slow, but in fact, it’s good to be slow. Because this is how God has made the metabolism of these slowest animals and given them the ability to live, here are some of the slowest animals in the world.
- Three- Toed Sloth
- Koala
- Garden Snail
- Gila Monster
- StarFish
- American Woodcock
- Giant Tortoise
- Banana Slug
- Komodo Dragon
- Slow Loris
- Virginia Opossum
- Sea Anemone
- Manatee
Animal That Walks Slowly:
Three- Toed Sloth:
Three- Toed Sloth
Three-toed sloth is the slowest animal in the world. It loves to hang on the trees and spend 80% of its day sleeping. Yes, you read right. It can sleep for 18-20 hours a day.
They are native to Central and South America. Do you think you’re slow, lazy, sluggish? No, think again. The three-toed sloth dedicates only 10% of its time to movement, and much credit goes to its slow metabolism, which still helps it burn at least 110 calories per day.
The fact is they don’t bother to move, and even if they try to move that too for the bathroom, their speed is so slow. You can take an estimation from the fact that they move at a speed of 8 feet per minute or 2.4 meters. Someone more lazier than the laziest human!
They have weak hind legs and long claws and are vulnerable to predators. However, when encountered by a predator, they can double up their speed to probably 15 feet or 4.6 meters per minute. Here is a life lesson: God sends difficulties to empower us and to help us convert our weaknesses into strength!
Remember the bonds and relationships we studied in high school biology? One of them was a symbiotic relationship. It’s a type of relationship that is mutually beneficial for both parties. ( Forgive me not a scientific definition but what I remembered).
Well, to further protect themselves from predators, the three-toed sloth forms a symbiotic bond with months, fungi, and algae. These organisms live in their fur and give their coat a greenish color. Toad, with the help of this color camouflages easily. The moths provide nutrition to the fungi and algae, and the fungi and algae, in return, provide food to the sloth, and the cycle goes on!
Let’s move to the next slowest animal in the world.
Koala:
Koala
Koalas are less adapted to the ground; they are close relatives of Wombats. They usually sleep for more than 20 hours a day because they eat less. Imagine your day when you’re eating, your energy is almost zero, and you feel so sleepy. The same is true for koalas; they eat less and sleep more, in fact, most!
They feed on eucalyptus leaves, and it requires a massive amount of energy to digest them. Their brain is fully focused on digestion, slowing the rest of metabolism. That’s why they do two things: eat, sleep and repeat.
Koalas are native to Australia. Surprisingly, when these animals feel a threat or a predator nearby, they can run at a speed of 18.6 miles or 30 kilometres per hour.
Garden Snail:
Garden Snail
The garden snail is the slowest animal in the world and is known for its unique movement method. It moves with the muscular contractions of its single boneless foot. The naive snail eases its way forward and reduces friction between its body and surface by releasing mucus or slime. This allows it to travel at a speed of 0.03 miles per hour or 0.048 kilometres per hour. As a safety mechanism, the snail withdraws its thick shell inside.
Gila Monster:
Gila Monster
It’s not only the slowest animal in the world but also the slowest lizard. It has a height of 22 inches. They have a black and pinkish orange color and bead-like scales. These scales aid the Gila monster with camouflage in their arid habitat.
Just like other slow animals, they spend most of their days resting underground and use fat reserves for food. The Gila monster is generally safe from predators as it spends most of its time underground, but it’s exposed to them when it goes out for hunting, where its maximum speed is 1-1.5 miles or 1.6 to 2.4 kilometers per hour.
Though sluggish, the Gila monsters are famous for powerful and strong bite and venomous saliva. Surprisingly, they can hunt and eat prey that is approximately one-third of their body size.
Starfish:
Starfish
Also known as sea stars, they are hard on the top. They have many little wiggly tube feet on the bottom. These tiny feet are the locomotory organ of starfish. These tube feet help the starfish grasp the surface and move around but the fact is they don’t move very fast!
According to NOAA ( National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration), starfish, using all its 15000 wiggly tubes, can move at a speed of one meter or roughly one yard.
American Woodcock:
American Woodcock
American woodcock isn’t generally the slowest animal on the list of slowest animals in the world, but compared to the rest of the animal world, its speed is slow. It travels at a speed of 28 miles or 46 kilometres per hour.
But as you know, being a bird where the peregrine falcon can reach a speed of 290 miles per hour; 28 miles per hour is actually slow. Because of their small, chunky body and slow speed, they spend most of their time on the ground, especially in dense forest habitats.
Moreover, their brown and gray color further assists them in effective camouflage. The American Woodcock holds the record for the lowest recorded flight speed among birds.
Giant Tortoise:
Giant Tortoise
It’s a known fact that the Galapagos giant tortoise holds the record as the largest living tortoise species in the world, but it’s also the slowest animal in the world.
These tortoises are heavy in weight, weighing probably 919 pounds or 417 kilograms. Due to the giant size, heavy shell and slow metabolic rate ( as discussed above for energy conservation), the giant tortoise moves very slowly. You might be surprised to know that they move at a speed of 0.2 to 0.3 miles per hour, roughly 0.3 to 0.5 kilometres per hour.
They usually move between their feeding spots during early morning or late afternoon in the search of food. Wondering what they do the rest of the day? Party, they enjoy, rest and sleep. Jokes apart, this is the fact.
But, as you know, tough situations create tough people. The same is true for animals. In the search for food during dry seasons, the giant tortoise can wander up to a speed of 6.2 miles or 10 kilometres across the volcanic slopes of the island.
Banana Slug:
Banana Slug
Banana slug actually got its name because it resembles a matured, ripe banana. They are native to the moist forest floors of North America’s Pacific Coniferous Rainforest belt.
The banana slug also moved by contracting and relaxing its muscular foot, just like snails. The contraction and relaxation overall create a motion that pushes the body slowly forward. The top speed recorded for banana slug is 6.5 inches per minute.
Unfortunately, the slugs lack a protective shell like snails and are easy prey for predators. But God never leaves His creatures in trouble, and His creation is perfect. To detect potential threats, the banana slug produces a thick, sticky mucus that contains chemicals that are repellent to predators. With the help of these chemicals, they sense predators and change their path accordingly.
Komodo Dragon:
Komodo Dragon
They are the slowest animals in the world but the largest lizard species. They are known as Komodo because they are endemic to Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang in Indonesia.
The Komodo Dragon has the strength to sprint in short bursts of 13 miles per hour, but they are sluggish and lazy and like to spend hours in the same place. They’ll keep spending time in one place patiently until a tasty meal appears their way, and they’ll attack like they never slow!
When facing threats, the Komodo dragon can throw the contents of its stomach. It adopts this strategy to reduce its weight, run fast, and secure a quick escape.
Life Lesson: sometimes, when you’re overwhelmed over troubled, let go of some extra worries and tensions or worries that are less important and feel light and relaxed to escape fast Slowest Animal in the World!
Slow Loris:
Slow Loris
Slow Loris got its name because of its slow, sluggish and lazy nature. They are found in Southeast Asia and are the only venomous primates in the world.
The purpose of their venom is more for safety from predators than to damage or hurt them, but if you do bad, you get bad. That’s why nature has given them venom as a defense mechanism against predators.
The slow loris is a naturally nocturnal animal. It possesses glands that produce toxins. The toxins, when mixed with saliva, result in a venomous bite. The bite causes an allergic reaction in the predator and can be fatal.
The slow loris moves at a speed of 1.1 miles or 1.9 kilometres per hour and uses venom as a defense mechanism.
But when they see an advantage, such as their favourite insect nearby, the slow-moving loris can actually move at an incredible speed of five miles or eight kilometres in one night! That’s the passion and the speed needed when you really want something. Learn from the life of Loris. You have to come out of your comfort zone to get your favorite thing!
Let’s move to the next slowest animal in the world.
Virginia Opossum:
Virginia Opossum
You might be surprised to know that though the Virginia opossum is capable of climbing and swimming, it prefers to live slowly on the ground.
It’s similar to the situation when you know that an XYZ person is capable of doing wonders, but still, they love to live in their comfort zone!
They are native to North America and walk slowly in a horrible way. The maximum speed recorded for Virginia opossum is only 4 miles per hour. They are nocturnal and like to forage in areas near to their dens. But in search of food, they can cover a distance of up to two miles.
Sea Anemone:
Sea Anemone
More than 10,000 sea anemone species are found underwater around the world. These slow-moving animals move with the help of a lone foot, also known as pedal disc and mucus secretions. They attach themselves to shells, plants, rocks and coral reefs.
They are slow enough that they don’t bother to move at all and wait for their prey, i.e. fish, to come near them. But even if they move, they can reach a speed of 4-10 inches per hour.
Manatee:
Manatee
Compared to other slowest animals in the world, Mantee is generally speedy. But considering its weight and hatred for movement, it’s very slow.
Manatee, known as the gentle giant of the ocean or the sea cow, can reach a height of 13 feet. They weigh roughly more than 3500 pounds. Undoubtedly, with a huge weight, it’s natural that they’ll hate movement! They usually move at a speed of only a few miles per hour. But, as we have discussed for all animals in search of food, they can speed up to as much as 20 miles per hour.
Manatees live in shallow water and, luckily, don’t have any true predators. Yes, sharks and whales can eat them, but as they live in different waters, it rarely happens.
Conclusion:
The slowest animal in the world is the three-toed sloth. The animals move slowly to conserve their energy by slowing down their mechanism. But we have seen the fact these slow moving animals can fast their speed if they encounter any threat or are in search of food!
