Bizarre Science: How slow can you go? Sloth sex is speedier than you might think.

Libby Hargreaves

Editor-In-Chief males lining up to mate with them, they may also be in for second helpings!

Sloths are notoriously slow creatures, due to their low metabolic rate, limited diet and low muscle mass.

A variety of sources claim the average speed of a sloth to be between 0.12 and 0.20 mph, in comparison to other creatures such as snails (0.02 mph), or jaguars (up to 60 mph).

You could be forgiven if you would therefore assume a sloth’s sexual habits are equally as slow-paced. The reality is, sloth intercourse is one of the quickest in the animal kingdom: a measly ten seconds.

One of the only activities a sloth speeds up for, sloth sex begins with the female mating call; a highpitched screech announces to the male that she’s ‘in the mood’.

Soon a male (or even a couple of them) will approach, ready to service her desires. A kind of sloth tinder ensues, as they are known to be quite picky in regard to their mates, though their preferences remain unclear- perhaps the criteria is different for every female sloth, in much as similar way to humans.

Unlike most human men, the male sloth is likely to request a post-coital round (and who can blame them, when the experience is so quick!).

Despite this short period of intimacy, sloths have also been known to experiment with multiple positions, with both some sort of sloth missionary having been reported, and of course the classic mammal technique of taking her from behind! Snack, sleep, sex; sloths seem to have it all.

The competition can be fierce and many males have been found to have scars as a result of this battle for the heart. Not only do female sloths have