But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Why do armadillos have shells? Why are sloths slow?

Dec 2, 2022

29:11

Creator website

Episode guests

Michael Perez

Sam Trull

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Convergent Evolution - What Is the Fastest Speed That Sloths Can Go on Land?

02:28

The Evolution of Sloths

02:24

The Dangers of Sloths in the Wild

05:43

Introduction

3min

What Are Armadillos?

2min

Armadillo Predators

2min

What Are Armadillos?

2min

The Signs of an Armadillo

5min

The Evolution of Sloths

2min

Convergent Evolution - What Is the Fastest Speed That Sloths Can Go on Land?

2min

Do Sloths Attack Slowly?

4min

Why Do Sloths Have Long Nails?

2min

10.

The Dangers of Sloths in the Wild

6min

Why do armadillos have shells? How do they roll into balls? Why are sloths so slow? Can sloths actually move fast? How do they defend against predators? Why do they have such long nails? We learn about two unique looking animals in this episode: sloths and armadillos. These mammals are part of an ancient superorder called Xenarthra and share a common ancestor. To get answers to kid questions about armadillos we took a field trip to Texas to talk with Michael Perez at the Forth Worth Nature Center and Refuge. And to learn about sloths, we interviewed Sam Trull of the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica.

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