A MOTH ON A SLOTH: Why a Sloth is Green

A Tale of Evolution and Cooperation (Symbioses)

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There is a moth on a three toed sloth.

There is a fungus on the skin on the sloth.

There is algae in the fur of the sloth.

They all form a family,

that lives in a tree.

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The moth and the fungus and the algae and the sloth all take care of each other.

You see none can survive without the other,

just like you and your mother.

They evolved to help each other.

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They live in the rain forest canopy.

In a place way up at the top of a tree.

In the plush green leaves farthest

from the things that can harm us.

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Once a week the sloth and her family climb

as slow as can be,

down the trunk of the tree.

Without making a sound

They creep toward the ground,

to the roots of the tree

Which houses their special family.

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They need to be stealthy you see

because they would make a great snack

for snakes and big cats.

Like the anaconda, jaguar and ocelots.

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There the sloth takes a poop.

In a hole near the roots.

Yes, the sloth takes a poop.

Why would this be?

To make a perfect moth nursery.

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The moth has her babies,

in the special root poop nursery.

To you it might sound a little crazy.

But it’s where little moth babies love to be.

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While on the ground,

They pick-up more fungi,

to replace those that die.

The fungi helps keep the sloth safe

from diseases like malaria and dengue.

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They leave the moth’s babies

and climb back up to the canopy

For their safe home high in the tree

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The moth is also fed,

on the things that are shed,

by the sloth’s skin from her tail to her head.

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Now the moth needs to poop.

But where can she go?

Right on the sloth! She’ll never know.

And it will help her fungus friends to grow.

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The moth’s poop feeds the fungus,

Who lives in the folds.

Of the skin which can hold.

Millions and billions of the fungus.

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The fungus works as one big group

They take the moth’s poop

And turn it into a goop

That’s a special treat

For the algae to eat.

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Now that the algae live in the hair,

Which grows here and there.

The sloth is happy as can be,

with her algae family,

High up in the tree.

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The algae takes the goop,

made by the fungus’s poop.

And with the sun’s glow,

they grow and grow and grow.

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The algae has an important task.

To give the sloth a green mask.

Which helps her to blend.

So the family won’t meet their untimely end,

From the Harpy Eagles who fly

All over the sky.

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The algae is the family’s garden,

Which grows in the sloth’s hair

and feeds the moth

and hides the sloth.

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The sloth only feeds at night,

To better hide from the eagle’s flight.

The sloth feeds on the leaves

which grow in the tree.

But sometimes she’s still hungry.

So she also eats the algae

that grows in her hair.

A snack on the go she can bring everywhere.

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The moth’s babies grow up in the sloth’s poop,

Which the sloth left by the tree root.

They grow in the poop

and fly up to the group.

To join the happy family

High up in the tree

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And the root poop which made the moth’s nursery,

guess what!

It turned into food for the tree,

which was a home for our special family

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Of the sloth who carried the moth

Whose poop fed the fungi,

Whose goop fed the algae,

That grew in the sloth’s hair.

So she can snack anywhere.

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So that’s how they evolved

To help each other

And work together

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We can all be great when we cooperate.

And give each other what we have.

The things they need,

like the family high up in the tree

Who lived together,

and helped each other.