Top 10 Lazy Animals

Have you ever wondered what the top 10 lazy animals in the world were?

Well, we have, so without further adieu, here is our list of the laziest inhabitants of the animal kingdom! Some of these animals are spending a lot of time doing nothing. Still, it is exciting to see why they are doing it.

Some animals take a lot of time for their metabolism or burn a lot of energy, which they need to regain while resting. For most, when not all of these animals, there is a reason for them being “lazy.”

Look at the list we have created or hop to every animal.

Table of Contents show

Key Points

Animal	Habitat and Characteristics	Unique Behavior/Feature
1. Sloth	– Found in tropical rainforests of South and Central America – Hangs upside down in trees	Sluggish movement and low-energy lifestyle
2. Panda	– Primarily in mountainous regions of southwest China – Eats bamboo exclusively	Requires a large bamboo diet daily
3. Hippopotamus	– Spends most of the day in rivers and lakes – Has barrel-shaped body and eyes, ears, and nose on top of the head	Can see and breathe while submerged in water
4. Koala	– Found in open forest and woodland areas with food trees – Can persist in urban areas	Reliant on specific food trees for habitat
5. Opossum	– North America – Great tree climbers with sharp claws and prehensile tail	Build nests in tree holes or dens
6. Python	– Predatory snake – Constricts and suffocates prey with its body	Sharp backward-pointing teeth for hunting
7. Nurse Shark	– Bottom-dwelling, slow-moving – Can grow up to 14 feet long	Defensive biting if bothered by divers
8. Echidna	– Monotreme egg-laying mammals – Found in Australia	Unique and adorable appearance
9. Blue Tongued Lizard	– Native to large parts of Australia – Also known as the western bluetongue snail	Distinctive blue tongue and large size
10. Cuckoo	– Known for laying eggs in other birds‘ nests – Brood parasitism strategy	Rears offspring with ‘foster parents’

#1 Sloth

Statistic	Value
Species	Sloth
Average Lifespan	20-30 years
Size	2 to 2.5 feet
Weight	8 to 17 pounds
Diet	Herbivore (leaves)
Habitat	Rainforests
Speed	0.24 to 0.3 mph
Activity Level	Mostly nocturnal

Sloths are a group of arboreal Neotropical xenarthran mammals, constituting the suborder Folivora.

Noted for their slow movement, they spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America.

One animal that you would certainly expect to see on this list.

#2 Panda

Statistic	Value
Species	Giant Panda
Average Lifespan	20-30 years
Size	4.6 to 6.2 feet
Weight	220 to 250 pounds
Diet	Bamboo, occasionally small mammals
Habitat	Mountainous bamboo forests
Conservation Status	Endangered

The panda, with its striking black and white coat, is loved worldwide and regarded as a Chinese national treasure.

Pandas are primarily found in temperate forests high in the mountains of southwest China, where they eat bamboo almost exclusively.

Depending on their bamboo portion, they must consume anywhere from 26 to 84 pounds each day.

#3 Hippopotamus

Statistic	Value
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius
Average Lifespan	Up to 40-50 years
Size	10 to 15 feet (length)
Weight	3,000 to 4,000 pounds
Diet	Herbivore (mainly grass)
Habitat	Rivers and lakes
Speed (in water)	19 mph (maximum)

Hippos are giant semi-aquatic mammals with a barrel-shaped bodies, short legs, short tails, and a massive heads! Their skin is greyish to muddy-brown on the outside and pale pink on the inside.

Hippos spend the majority of the day in rivers and lakes. Because their eyes, nose, and ears are on their heads, they can see and breathe while submerged in water.

You can explore the world of baby hippos with our dedicated article.

#4 Koala

Statistic	Value
Species	Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Average Lifespan	10-15 years
Size	24 to 33 inches (length)
Weight	9 to 31 pounds
Diet	Herbivore (eucalyptus leaves)
Habitat	Eucalyptus forests
Conservation Status	Vulnerable

Koalas can be found in a variety of open forest and woodland groups. The presence of a small number of food trees ultimately characterizes their habitat.

Where food trees grow on more rich soils and along watercourses, koalas can be found in higher quantities.

However, they persist in urban areas and locations where their habitat has been largely removed.

#5 Opussom

Statistic	Value
Species	Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Average Lifespan	2-4 years
Size	10 to 14 inches (length)
Weight	4 to 14 pounds
Diet	Omnivore (insects, fruits, small animals)
Habitat	Forests, urban areas

In North America, there are several dozen different opossum species, commonly referred to as possums. The Virginia opossum, often known as the common opossum. It is the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.

Opossums are great tree climbers and spend much time in the trees.

Sharp claws that burrow into the bark and a lengthy prehensile tail. This can be employed as an extra leg to assist them in achieving this.

Opossums build their nests in tree holes or dens dug out by other animals.

#6 Python

Statistic	Value
Species	Ball Python (Python regius)
Average Lifespan	20-30 years
Size	3 to 5 feet
Weight	3 to 5 pounds
Diet	Carnivore (small mammals, birds)
Habitat	Grasslands, forests

The snake catches prey with its sharp backward-pointing teeth. Then wraps its body around it, squeezing tighter with each exhale until the animal suffocates.

Another animal I would expect to see here.

#7 Nurse Shark

Statistic	Value
Species	Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
Average Lifespan	25-35 years
Size	7 to 9 feet
Weight	200 to 300 pounds
Diet	Carnivore (fish, invertebrates)
Habitat	Coral reefs, shallow waters

Nurse sharks are bottom-dwelling, slow-moving creatures that are safe for humans.

They can grow to be huge—up to 14 feet long—and have powerful jaws loaded with thousands of small, serrated teeth. If stomped on or bothered by divers who assume they’re placid, they’ll bite defensively.

#8 Echidna

Statistic	Value
Species	Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
Average Lifespan	15-20 years
Size	12 to 18 inches (length)
Weight	4 to 9 pounds
Diet	Insectivore (ants, termites)
Habitat	Forests, grasslands

The Echidna comprise four of the five living species in a group of egg-laying mammals known as monotremes.

They do look adorable tho!

#9 Blue tongued lizard

Statistic	Value
Species	Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides)
Average Lifespan	15-20 years
Size	12 to 24 inches (length)
Weight	0.9 to 1.5 pounds
Diet	Omnivore (insects, plants)
Habitat	Woodlands, gardens

The bluetongue lizard, also called Tiliqua occipitalis, is a large skink that is native to large parts of Australia.

It is also known as the western bluetongue snail.

#10 Cuckoo

Statistic	Value
Species	Various cuckoo species
Average Lifespan	Varies by species
Size	Varies by species
Diet	Mainly insectivorous, some are brood parasites
Habitat	Varies by species, often woodlands and forests

Cuckoos are famous for laying an egg in another bird’s nest. Leaving the offspring to be raised and fed by ‘foster parents.’

This ingenious strategy enables the rearing of more baby cuckoos than would otherwise be possible.

Summary of Top 10 Lazy Animals

Thank you for reading about the Top 10 Lazy Animals. You expected to see some of them on the list, while others might have surprised you.

If you enjoyed Top 10 Laziest Animals, please take a look at our blog about the top 10 cutest animals.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article on lazy animals.

About
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Jan Otte

Co-Founder at Animals Around The Globe

Jan loves Wildlife and Animals and is one of the founders of Animals Around The Globe. He holds an MSc in Economics and is a passionate PADI Open Water Diver. His favorite animals are Mountain Gorillas, Tigers, and Great White Sharks. He lived in South Africa, Germany, the USA, Ireland, Italy, China, and Australia.

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