They are endemic to the Atlantic coastal rainforest of southeastern and northeastern Brazil, located in the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.

[3][4][5] The sloths are an endemic species unique to Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.

However, there is a gap that is created naturally by a valley located in between the rainforests of the states of Bahia and Espírito Santo.

[5][6] This makes some of the regions in which Bradypus torquatus occupies extraordinarily isolated which causes a lot of inbreeding, affecting the genetic diversity of the species in other areas.

The maned sloth is typically found in wet tropical forests with very hot and humid climates that have a very minimal dry season with an annual rainfall of at least 1,200 mm (47.2 in).

[7] Many parts of the forest that maned sloths inhabit have been affected by anthropogenic deforestation and their habitat has been reduced down to 7% of the range of the original biome.

The maned sloth's small head features fur-covered pinnae and anterior oriented eyes that are usually covered by a mask of black hair.

[3] The mane is usually larger and darker in males than in females, and in the latter, may be reduced to a pair of long tufts.

[11] Sloths sleep in crotches of trees or by dangling from branches by their legs and tucking their head in between their forelegs.

The wet and hotter season of the year is better for pregnant mothers and infant sloths because of their slow metabolism and their inability to control their body temperature.

The major threat to the maned sloth is the loss of its forest habitat as a result of lumber extraction, charcoal production, and clearance for plantations and cattle pastures.

There is a recovery plan in action for mammals living in the Central Atlantic Forest in which the sloths are included.

New data based on studies of the maned sloth's range and locations suggested that the extent of occurrence (EOO) was larger than what had been previously understood.