Three-toed sloths risk their lives once a week by climbing all the way down to the forest floor just to defecate, a bizarre habit designed to help a specific species of moth lay eggs in their fresh dung.

A closer look

Three-toed sloths risk their lives once a week by climbing all the way down to the forest floor just to defecate, a bizarre habit designed to help a specific species of moth lay eggs in their fresh dung. These moths eventually hatch, fly up into the sloth's fur, and die, decomposing to provide nutrients that fuel the growth of algae on the sloth's back, which the sloth then eats for energy. Basically, this majestic creature operates as a slow-moving, algae-farming ecosystem powered by its own feces and insect corpses. It is the most complicated, high-risk bathroom break in the animal kingdom, proving once again that nature's solutions are often incredibly convoluted and deeply gross!