- Welcome to The Superbook Show.

- Today we're on locationat the Virginia Zoo.

- And we'll be learning about sloth,

both the sin of sloth

and those adorableanimals of the same name.

- So, Mia, what is sloth?

It means laziness which is why

the slow moving creature'snamed that, right?

- Well, you're partly right.

The sin of sloth isn't just laziness,

it's spiritual laziness.

- Right, so what does that mean?

- Sloth is about the things you should do

but don't do because theytake too much effort,

or they're inconvenient.

- Gotcha, like reading the Bible,

or praying, or volunteeringto help others.

- Exactly, so there couldbe laziness involved,

or we're putting other lessimportant things first.

- Like binge watching TV,

or spending hours on social media.

- And there are otherthings that we do to keep us

too busy to develop ourrelationship with God.

- Like, afterschool activities,

or hanging out with friends.

- Yes, but there's nothingwrong with those things

unless they become an excuseto put God in last place.

- I know I mess up sometimes.

But I still wanna keep God in first place.

But what about the animal?

They're so adorable.

- Yes, they're very adorbs.

And they've gotten a badreputation because of their name.

But God had a purposein creating the sloths,

and there's a lot we can learn from them.

Let's go get up close and personal.

- Let's go.

(lighthearted music)

- Hello.

- Hi, how are you guys?

I'm Tara, this is KC, ourtwo-toed or two-fingered sloth.

I heard you guys hadsome questions about her.

- Yes.- All right.

- So on average, howmuch does a sloth weigh?

- How much does a sloth weigh?

So it really depends on the species.

There are six different species of sloth.

And the two-toed or two-fingeredsloths tend to be bigger

and larger than thethree-toeds, which are smaller.

KC here weighs 8.4 kilograms,

which is roughly about 19 pounds.

But they can typically weighanywhere from 10 pounds to 20.

- Oh, nice.- Gotcha.

- What is the average lifespan?

- So an average lifespan of a sloth,

in their natural environment,

is upwards of about 30 years.

But when they're in human care,

in a zoological facility like ours,

they can live upwards of about 40 years.

- So when sloths aren't on trees,

like do they have any other form

of transportation besides this?

- So they typically livetheir entire life upside down.

They're climb upside down.

They don't typically free hang like this.

That's kind of a misconception.

They do like to rest on things,

or in the Vs or crevice of a tree.

They'll climb down once aweek to go to the bathroom.

They're very awkward on land.

It's when they're mostvulnerable to predators.

They can't walk very well.

But they can swim super good.

So they will do that.

They'll fall from a tree.

They can hold their breathfor a really long time.

And they'll swim to cool themselves off

or to escape predation.

- Oh, what is a typical diet for them?

- In their natural environment,

they typically willwhatever's next to them.

So again, depending on the species.

So three-toed slothsare a little more picky.

They eat cecropia trees only.

Two-toed sloths have a more varied diet.

They'll eat the leaves.

They love flowers, hibiscus flowers.

They'll eat fruits, lots of leaves.

Here, KC gets leafy greens,

lots of different types ofbrows, vegetables, fruits.

Vegetables are her favorite though.

- So what happens if likethe sloth is moving this way

and another sloth is moving this way,

and they just like collide?

- So, typically, theydon't live in groups.

So they are a solitaryanimal, they live alone.

Males are kind of territorial.

So you'll never really seea lot of males in one place.

Females will tolerate each other,

meaning that severalfemales can live in one tree

and they don't bother each other,

but they don't rely on each other.

They don't groom each other,there's no social structure,

they don't rely on each other for food.

So, typically, you wouldn'thave sloths run in together

'cause they pretty much stayaway and have their space.

But if they were females,nothing would happen.

But if they were males, theremight be a little fight.

(Mia laughs)- Gotcha.

- So if you were to look on a map,

where are they located,where do you find them?

- Rainforests and Centraland South America, all over.

And again, sometimes,that's species specific.

The pygmy three-toed sloth,

which is the criticallyendangered species,

is only native to one islandoff the coast of Panama.

- [Mia] Wow.

- [Tara] But two-toed sloths can be found

variably throughout the rainforests.

- [Mia] Wow.

- So I'm gonna give you her mush balls,

which are her favorite.

- Mush balls?

- Sloths don't haveany teeth in the front.

So if it's small, youcan put it in her mouth

and not worry about getting bit.

If you get a little sloth slobber,

I have sanitizer at the end.

So don't worry, these are her favorite.

- Thank you.

- [Tara] You're welcome, it's just banana.

So it's nothing gross.

It just feels gross.

- It feels interesting.

- You guys are feeding her mush balls,

which are one of her favorite treats.

It's just a combination oflike a canned primate diet.

Banana and wheat germ.

So it's really healthy forher, but she loves them.

- Are you ready?

- [Tara] They're her special treats.

(lighthearted music)

- So how old is she?

- KC is 23, she had abirthday at the end of April.

She is 23 years old.

- [Mia] Wow.

- [Tara] Yes.

You guys see that long tongue

coming out when she's eating?

So that's one of the similarities

they have to their cousins,

if you know what they're related to,

would be armadillos and anteaters.

- [Mia] Really?

- [Tara] Yes, so theyhave a really long tongue

that you don't see that often.

But they do, just like those guys.

(lighthearted music)

- Wow, what type of relationships

do they have with other animals?

- So these guys, again,like we said earlier,

they're not socialanimals, they're solitary.

But they have a whole lot ofanimals that rely on them.

So because these guys are so sedentary,

they sit a lot, they rest a lot,

they sleep about 10 to 12 hours a day,

but they rest about 22 hours a day.

Algae grows on them.

So if you looked at one of their pieces

of hair or fur under the microscope,

it would look like a corkscrew of screw

and algae grows on that.

Within the algae, is a whole ecosystems.

So moths and beetles, all kinds of bugs

that live on them and rely on them.

And then, the algae gives them

their number one defensemechanism, which is camouflage.

So it's a symbiotic relationship.

- (chuckles) Wow.

I know you said she's 23,how long has she been here?

- She's been here at the Virginia Zoo,

a little over two years.

- Okay, well, thank youso much for allowing us

to come here and ask all these questions.

It's been a lot of fun.

- Yeah, it's been awesome.

- [Tara] Sure, no problem.

- Wow, the sloth sureis a unique creature.

- Well, did you learnanything from our visit

about our relationship with God?

- Yeah, I learned that it's good

to slow down and be present.

It helps us enjoy God's blessings more.

- And it doesn't hurt to be still either.

We can hear from Godbetter when we're quiet.

Psalm chapter 46, verse 10 says,

"Be still and know that I am God."

Rest is also good for your health.

- Another thing I realized is how just

easy to approach the sloths were.

I think that's how God wants us to be,

is able to show love and be approachable.

- One more thing I learnedabout is perspective.

You know how they can turntheir heads 270 degrees?

- Yeah.

- Well, that really helpsthem to see the big picture.

- Well, we can't turnour heads 270 degrees

but we can take a stepback when we need help.

We can ask God to help us see

other points of view from people we trust.

- The sin of sloth, not good.

The two or three-toedsloth, awesome sauce.

- His word is forever alive.

- Thanks for joining us tomeet KC at the Virginia Zoo.

- No need to remind you not to be slothful

and liking and subscribing.

- But do slow do enough to download

our Superbook Bible app.

And check out superbook.cbn.com.

- Bye.- Bye.

(groans) My stomach hurts.

- I want more than a donut.

I'm gonna go home andget Taco Bell, DoorDash.

Like, hang out with--

Dude (laughs), I can't see you.

- Back to one, (laughs) okay.

De de de de de, are you smiling?

- Yes.- Yay!

Bye!- See you next time.

Okay, was it not see you next time?

(lighthearted music)

- [Mia] She's like, where'd the food go?

(lighthearted music)

- And now we get to feed her.

- [Tara] She's ready for food though.

Let me see if I can giveher something before.

She smells the mushballs, I'm telling you.

(lighthearted music)