Bring slowness into the world!
On the Second Day of February, We Saved
Two Sleepy Sloths
Would it not be great to stretch time? How can we celebrate slowfulness?
William Beebe was a sloth researcher who was very impressed by the sloths’ slowness. He wrote, “Sloths have no right to be living on this earth, but they would be fitting inhabitants of Mars, whose year is over six hundred days long.”
Sloths have lived on the Earth for a very long time. Today’s sloths are descendants of giant sloths who were the size of elephants. Palaeontologists think that humans were the reason that these giant sloths became extinct. So maybe we are given another chance to save these fascinating animals.
Bradypus pygmaeus, a pygmy three-toed sloth, is a critically endangered species because of human threats and predators. They live in Isla Escudo de Veraguas, an island in Panama. The island has no inhabitants, but visitors hunt the sloths and sell their meat.
Some interesting facts about sloths.
- Sloths sleep for about 15 hours per day.
- A four-armed, not a four-legged, mammal. The limbs cannot carry their body weight.
- Sloths hide and remain silent when there is danger.
- A male sloth often stays in the same tree for his entire life.
- The sloth, tree and algae are all part of each other. Part of this little ecosystem is the sloth moth, which has formed a mutually beneficial relationship with the sloth.
- Sloths cannot, unlike other mammals, regulate their body temperature so they can only live in humid and warm places.
- Predators often find it difficult to find sloths when they are hanging in their trees.
- Sloths often look grey-green, but they have brown-grey fur. They move so slowly that algae can grow on them! The sloths look like a clump of leaves or a branch covered with lichen. Fungi and beetles also live in their fur
- They are nocturnal.
- Sloths are herbivores, and they munch on leaves, fruit and young twigs.
- Sloths have poor eyesight, so a sloth does not look for its food. Instead, a sloth sniffs leaves.
- It is quite insensitive to pain.
- The sloth’s neck is very flexible.
This exact slowness has inspired real technology. Engineers at Georgia Tech built SlothBot, a solar-powered robot that deliberately moves as little as possible, so it can hang in a forest canopy for months at a time, monitoring wildlife and climate — because moving costs far more energy than simply watching and waiting. Just like a real sloth, SlothBot proves that slow isn’t the opposite of smart. Sometimes, it’s the whole point.
Some of the information about sloths has been added to the mind map. We will use this as inspiration for our think dive into the world of sloth slowness.
What ideas do you get when you think about sloths?
And sloths are great swimmers.
Sources
- Georgia Tech, ‘SlothBot in the Garden’ Demonstrates Hyper-Efficient Conservation Robot
- PBS NOVA, SlothBot wants you to slow down and monitor the environment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.
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