The tip of the sloth mandible is a spout- shaped and there on the side of the jaw is a foramen. They have a single set of crowned, open rooted teeth. The forelimb is equal in length to the hind limb. Most sloths have hands and hand claws that appear well suited for the manipulation of foliage and the robust tail seen in most fossil sloths suggests that they may have sat in a tripodal posture when eating. The phalanges are not separately mobile, being bound by ligaments, so the claws from one functional whole. Its muscles work by means of contraction. They contain more retractor muscles than the extensor muscles. A retractor muscle, in sloth makes them cling onto the branches of a tree in a long period of time; they lack extensor muscles thus making it hard for …show more content…
This will enable the cheetah to take longer strides and have a longer contact length for a given speed, increasing their speed. The digital flexor muscles and the extensor digitorum communis were significantly heavy, which the dew claw is used during hunting prey. These muscles will also flex the digits, enabling the claws to be dug into the ground and aid traction during accelerations and maneuvers. The grooves on the cushions of their feet, as well as their claws (which are only semiretractable) give them better grip on the ground. It has a light skeleton for faster speed and its leg bones are longer in relation to the body size. They run on the tips of their toes while their spines are more flexible than other cats, letting them increase the size of their stride step. Their hip bones can hinge allowing them to stretch their legs further. These adaptations give a fast pace when running. For maintaining balance and to change direction faster and more precise, their long-narrowed well- muscled tail helps. Their muscles are adapted or rapidly swinging the limb and decreasing its swing time.