A wonderfully entertaining celebration of that most unique of creatures:
the sloth. In public estimation, sloths have undergone an astonishing
transformation in the course of the past few years. Thanks largely to
YouTube clips posted by the sloth orphanage in Costa Rica, sloths have
attracted a vast audience of admirers. Instead of seeing them as
ridiculous anachronisms of which we know little, they have turned into
creatures considered by many to be the most endearing on earth. Over
much the same period, scientific investigations have also changed our
view of sloths. No longer are they seen as total misfits in the modern
world but, in the words of one specialist sloth investigator, they are
'masters of an alternative lifestyle'. In this wonderfully entertaining
celebration of this most unique of creatures, William Hartston reveals
the fascinating history of the sloth, from the prehistoric ground sloth
to modern pygmy sloths in Panama, explores the current state of the
science of sloths and reveals the truth behind sloth behaviour.