Adult three-toed sloth (Bradypus) or Ai Adulte. Engraving created in 1700s for French naturalist, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788), from a drawing by French wildlife artist, Jacques Henri E. De Sève (). The engraving appeared in Buffon’s influential work on natural history, the 36-volume 'Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière …’, published between 1749 and 1788. This illustration, later coloured by hand, comes from the rare 1780 French edition of the ‘Histoire'.
Hand-coloured antique engraving from a drawing by the French wildlife artist and illustrator, Jacques Henri E. De Sève. It depicts an adult three-toed sloth, or ai, and was created for the influential 36-volume 'Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière …’, published by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, between 1749 and 1788. This page, later tinted skillfully by hand, comes from the rare 1780 French edition of the 'Histoire'. The sloth is a tree-living mammal from Central and South America. It is the world's slowest mammal and spends only about 10 per cent of its time moving at all. There are both two-toed and three-toed sloths, identified by the number of long, prominent claws that they have on each front foot. Three-toed sloths are also called ais (pronounced 'eyes') because of their high-pitched cry when agitated. Three-toed sloths have eight or nine neck vertebrae, which allow them to turn their heads through 270 degrees; most mammals have only seven neck vertebrae. Jacques Henri E. De Sève () is one of the most influential natural history artists of all time. He created hundreds of animal images, many of which now seem fantastical, but an interesting feature is his inclusion of wildlife habitats; he did not merely depict animals, but rather placed them in an appropriate environment. His work was widely copied in engravings by others for later editions of Buffon's books. Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788), was a French naturalist remembered for his comprehensive work on natural history. He was appointed keeper of the Jardin du Roi (royal botanical garden) in Paris and charged with cataloguing the royal collections in natural history. He produced an account of the whole of nature, which became the 'Histoire’.
Size: 8698px × 10568px
Location: In natural habitat
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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