Slowest Animals in the World

Three-Toed Sloth Sloths spend their days in the treetops, barely moving. Blame their lethargy on their incredibly low metabolic rate. That slow metabolism means they only need a few leaves and twigs for nutrition. 

Garden Snail When you only have one foot, it’s difficult to move very quickly. The common garden snail has a flat, muscular organ that propels it extremely slowly along its purposeful path. 

Starfish Sea stars, commonly called starfish, are hard on top with many little wiggly tube feet on the bottom. Those tiny feet help the starfish grasp surfaces and move around. 

Giant Tortoise There are many subspecies of giant tortoises that live on various islands, but the most famous is the giant Galapagos tortoise. The largest living tortoise species, the Galapagos can live for 150 years or more. 

Banana Slug There’s not a lot of agreement about which animal is the absolute slowest. But University of Eastern Kentucky biologist Branley Allan Branson voted for the banana slug to win top honors. "A large banana slug has been observed to cover 6.5 inches in 120 minutes,” he wrote.

Slow Loris Are slow lorises really slow? For the most part, the loris is a lollygagger. The animal is mostly deliberate in its actions until it goes after prey.

Sea Anemone Related to coral and jellyfish, there are more than 1,000 sea anemone species around the world. These colorful and interesting underwater creatures use their lone foot—called a pedal disc—and mucus secretions to attach themselves to shells, plants, rocks, or coral reefs.

Manatee Compared to some of these other animals, the manatee is relatively speedy. But considering their heft and disdain for movement, manatees are usually very slow. The gentle giant of the ocean—also known as the sea cow—can reach up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 3,500 pounds.

Sea Horse Seahorses are very slow swimmers. In fact, they are the slowest of all fish species. Unlike most fish, they do not have a caudal fin (a tail fin). Instead, they use one small fin on their back to propel themselves.

Gila monster The top speed a Gila monster can run is 1-1.5 miles per hour. This is a very slow speed, especially for a land reptile.