A three-toed sloth has three toes on each hind foot.
Three-toed sloths belong to the genus Bradypus and live in tropical forests of Central and South America. Their name refers to the three clawed toes on each hind foot, although their front limbs also end in three long claws. Those claws help them hang beneath branches and move through the canopy.
The name can cause confusion because two-toed sloths also have three toes on each hind foot. The main difference in the common names is the number of clawed fingers on the front limbs: three-toed sloths have three, while two-toed sloths have two.
Sloths are adapted to a slow, energy-saving lifestyle. Their diet is largely made up of leaves, which provide limited nutrition, so they have a low metabolic rate and spend much of their time resting. Their greenish appearance can result from algae growing in their coarse fur, providing camouflage among wet forest foliage.