While animals like cheetahs and pronghorn run as fast as supercars, some animals consume a lot of time to amble and creep. These slowest animals in the world have unique attributes and vitality, making them move incredibly slowly.
Here we explore some lackadaisical creatures who flourish despite their slow pace.
The World’s Slowest Animals
Three-Toed Sloth
Let’s start with the laziest animal in the world, Sloths. They barely move; when they do, they just move 0.15 miles per hour, which means 1 foot per minute. Imagine how slow these three-toed sloths move.
Due to their arboreal nature, sloths spend their days mostly on the trees and descend rarely. They have long arms and short shoulders. Sloths eat leaves and twigs to conserve energy to make minimal movements.
Star Fish
The starfish is the slowest animal in the world. There are around 1500 species of starfish, all of which lives in the ocean. They grasp surfaces and move slowly. Starfishes move at a speed of 0.02 mph. They have a star-like body structure with no brain and blood. If they get cut down into pieces, they can regrow.
Garden Snail
Some people consider garden snail as a pest, while some people have it as a delicious meal. There are approximately 43,000 species of snails, which can move up to 0.029 miles per hour. Well, the snails have thick shells, which makes them move slowly. And they like to be in hibernation for years and prefer to be in dark or shady places.
Giant Tortoise
Tortoises are known as the slowest moving creature with the longest life span. The Galapagos tortoise, also known as the giant tortoise, is the longest living animal in the world. Currently, the giant tortoise is found in East Tanzania and West Ecuador. They prefer to live in low lands. They weigh more than 350kg and have thick legs and heavy shells. Due to their weight, they move very slowly. The amazing fact about the giant tortoise is that they can store water and survive without eating and drinking for a year.
Banana Slugs
A member of gastropod mollusc, banana slugs are the 4th slowest animal in North America. These creatures move by contracting muscles in their foot. They eat dead plant materials found on the ground. They travel at a speed of 0.3 kilometres per hour. Banana slugs can burrow up to 9 feet underground and can leave for several years in moist conditions.
Dwarf Sea Horse
Dwarf seahorses live in tropical waters across the world. Because of their unique structure, these creatures cannot move like their fellow swimmers. Dwarf sea horses measure up to 1 inch in length and travel at a speed of 0.5 miles per hour. And their minimal movements make them live in one place during their lifetime.
Gila Monsters
Gila monsters are one of the larger animals in the list of slowest moving animals in the world. They are a type of venomous lizard that exists in the southwestern USA. These creatures grow up to 0.4 meters long and move at a speed of 2.4km per hour. Gila monsters spend their life most of their time underground and rarely come out hunting because they can store more fat in their large tails.
Slow Loris
The world’s only venomous primate, loris can move with a maximum speed of 1.2 miles per hour. Slow Loris will move very slowly and deliberately along trees and branches. But, while hunting, they move slowly but strike in a fraction of a second to catch the prey. Though they look adorable, they are illegal to keep as a pet in some countries because it causes more pain and even leads to death when it bites. In case if anyone wants to keep it as a pet, they will cut off or pull out its teeth.
American Woodcock
The American woodcock is the world’s slowest flying bird, called timberdoodle, bogsucker, hokumpoke, Labrador twister, or Scolopax minor. These species were inhabiting North America. With its long beak, it digs the mud and eats earthworms.
Manatee
When compared to other slowest animals, the manatee is a bit speedy. Manatee is also called a sea cow and weighs up to 1300 pounds. They inhibit in shallow water and like to float over the water rather than swim. Manatees can swim at 3 to 5 mph. Most of the time, they eat and rest, which is the reason behind their heavy size.
Bottom Line
I hope you learned about the slowest animals in the world and some interesting facts about each of them.
