Green algae live mutualistically between the microscopic scales on the surface of the guard hairs, giving the sloth a somewhat greenish appearance that serves as camouflage.

Males have a bright yellow or orange patch on the back, divided by a central black stripe.

Unusually, they appear to lack any cone cells in the retina, suggesting that the sloth is unable to see color.

Despite its apparently small ears, the pale-throated sloth has excellent hearing; it has also been reported to have a good sense of smell.

The palate is wrinkled in texture, and the tongue is lined with numerous grooves, apparently adaptations to the sloth's diet.

[7] The pale-throated sloth is found only in the tropical forests of northern South America, including Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, eastern Venezuela and Brazil north of the Amazon River.

They have been reported to spend over eighteen hours each day asleep, and move through the tree canopy only very slowly.

They periodically descend from the trees to defecate, depositing a pile of small pellets in a hole dug into the ground.

The young animal clings to the mother's underside for the first month of life, by which time it has reached a weight of around 300 grams (10 oz).