Southpaw sloths have twice the grip strength of humans

SLOTHS may be left-handed, scientists have discovered.

Scientists studying the grip of brownthroated sloths found that they have a vice-like grasp that is at least twice as strong as a human’s but the left side is stronger than the right, with the left forelimb, or hand, 21 per cent stronger than its right hand.

For the hindlimbs, the left side was found to be more powerful but with only by a 12 per cent margin.

Melody Young, of the New York Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, said: “It turns out lots of animals have laterality and despite our anthropocentric bias, most animals are left-handed.

“Interestingly, when you look at suspensory animals [those that hang below branches, e.g. spider monkeys, gibbons, orangutans] they tend to have larger laterality than non-suspensory animals.

“Sloths are the first example outside of primates to show this pattern and clearly there are exciting questions that need to be explored in the future.”