Young sloth is hanging on a tree branch

Slow and steady

Jeuvenile porcupine chows down on a tasty branch

Sometimes fast is what you need, but there are also days when it’s fine to take your time! It’s the same in the Animal Kingdom: different paces for different species! So for every speedy cheetah that can run 70 miles per hour, there’s a slowpoke porcupine! (They can reach 2 miles per hour.)

Galapagos tortoise walks along forest floor

Taking their time

Galápagos tortoises amble along at a slow-but-steady pace, less than half the speed of a human, maybe half a mile per hour. If they need to go places, they better get an early start!

Slow lorises perch on a branch

Slow down!

One type of loris even has slow in its name! But while the slow loris may not climb fast, it can grab prey pretty quickly.

adult koala chills on a branch

Sleepy and slow

Another animal not known for being speedy is the koala. Actually, this marsupial can move when it needs to. Its reputation for being slow probably has more to do with the fact that koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day!

Say "hello" to Xena!

Check out this video about a super—and slow—animal, the two-toed sloth. Watch it and you’ll see that moving at your own pace is just fine!