If you want a job done really, really slowly – ask a sloth.
Unfortunately these power station workers in Peru didn’t have a choice after the animal was found turning a gas pipeline valve on the premises.
What’s more they were unable to stop him due to company guidelines about interfering with wildlife, bringing their activity to a halt until he departed.
In an entertaining video of the event the long-clawed mammal can be seen clinging on to a metal barrier with his hind legs as he grabs the valve’s yellow wheel with his front claws.
At a surprisingly speedy rate given the species’ reputation for lethargy, he rotates the wheel, reaching up his arm each time to bring it down and around.
He looks up expectantly as he executes the task – perhaps confused by the concept of circles and wondering when the end will be in sight.
The sloth appears to soon tire however and shuffles forward on the bar as though to haul himself onto the wheel before stopping, unsure of what to do next.
The man with the camera films the grey animal patiently, fully aware he’s unable to stop him until he leaves of his own accord.
And given how slowly sloths move, he could be waiting a while…
Sloths are the world’s slowest animal and spend most of their time hanging out in treetops – and sleeping. Some spend 15 to 20 hours every day kipping.
Built for life in the tree tops, they hang from branches with a powerful grip aided by their long claws.
Unfortunately on land these talons prove a hindrance and their weak hind leg’s provide no power, making them very clumsy animals.
But they do make surprisingly good swimmers and stroke efficiently with their long arms.
Story originally posted on the Daily Mail Australia, written by Harriet Mallinson for MailOnline
