You’ve probably seen several animals, such as cheetahs, sailfish, and peregrine falcons, for their graceful speeds. They utilize their speed to avoid predators while also gathering food. But some organisms in the same world don’t really value and care about speeds. They are rarely hurried; one took a minute to walk just a foot, while another took 120 minutes to crawl just 6.5 inches. These organisms are so slow that their names have become a synonym for laziness.

So guys, let’s meet some of these organisms living in the world, well known for their slow movements.

11. Koala or Koala Bear: 10 Km/h

The Koala is a herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and it is commonly referred to as a Koala Bear, which is actually incorrect. These arboreal marsupials spend most of their time on eucalyptus trees and only feed on eucalyptus leaves. Because eucalyptus leaves contain very low nutrition and calories, the koala doesn’t have extra energy. Koalas are largely sedentary, spending most of their time sleeping (20 hours a day) or sitting on the treetops. Although koalas move very slowly, if they feel threatened, they can run away at a top speed of 18 mph. Koalas are asocial or solitary-loving animals, and bonding only exists between the mother and dependent offspring.

10. Slow Loris: 1.9 Km/h

The Slow Loris, a nocturnal mammal of Southeast Asia, may look cute, but it is the only venomous primate in the world. Their mouths and elbows contain toxins, and they disperse toxins on their fur to be used on both prey and predators. Due to less threat from predators, it leads to a slow life. Slow Loris is a lollygagger and most of the time, they take action by deliberating. When they get their favorite insect or other prey, they strike them with lightning speed. Their top speed is 1.9 km/h, and they can travel up to 8 km at night.

09. Galapagos Giant Tortoise: 0.3 km/h

There are many subspecies of giant tortoise, and one of them is the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. These tortoises are the largest species and cover a distance of 60 yards in 10 minutes. They have a speed of 0.186 mph, and according to this, it will take a whole day to travel 4 miles. Their diet is the reason for their slow movement. Tortoises are herbivores; they don’t need to hunt and run after prey. This tortoise species can survive a year without food and water. Apart from these, their heavy shell causes slow movement. After a delicious meal, these tortoises like to enjoy a sunbath and a sound sleep. For all of these reasons, the tortoise is one of the world’s slowest animals.

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08. Banana Slugs: 0.048 Km/h

The Banana Slug is one of the slowest animals in the world, taking 120 minutes to travel 6.5 inches, and their speed remains at 0.186 mph. Banana slugs use their muscular feet to crawl. Their feet make muscular contractions that secrete mucus, and the mucus turns into slime, lubricating the path of slugs. The banana slug moves forward, crawling slowly. Despite being extremely slow, they are much faster than their cousins’ garden snails as they do not have to carry the weight of heavy shells. Banana slugs can rappel down from a height. They have a mucus plug at the end of their tail, which may be utilized to rappel down from the slime to the generation of the bungee cord.

07. Three-Toed Sloth: 0.011 miles/h

Sloths are arboreal mammals, which means they spend most of their time on treetops and rarely move. Sloths cover a foot in one minute, i.e., their top speed is 0.011 mph. Because sloths are so slow, algae grow on their coats. Lethargy can’t be blamed as the reason is the low metabolic rate. They don’t need much food because of their slow metabolism; they just require some twigs and leaves for nurturing. The anatomical structure is quite different from other mammals. Their arms are extremely long, and their shoulder blades are significantly shorter. They can readily reach far and wide without using much energy and effort. The three-toed sloth is the world’s slowest moving mammal. Most of the time, they are wrapped with treetops. Sloths are rarely threatened by any predator, which is why sloths don’t value quick movement.

06. Dwarf Seahorse: 0.015 Km/h (5 ft per hour)

The Dwarf Seahorse is a species of seahorse found in the subtidal aquatic beds of the Bahamas and some parts of the United States. The dwarf seahorse is the slowest moving fish with a top speed of 5 feet per hour (e.g., 1.5 m), according to Guinness World Records. Their unique body shape is the reason for their slow movement. Instead of swimming, they rely on the current’s flow. Due to their extremely slow movement, they can easily sneak up on their prey (i.e., crustaceans) and hunt them down. Hunting crustaceans is not so easy. If they feel threatened, they can flee at a speed of 500 bodies per second. The land’s fastest mammal, the cheetah, can reach a top speed of 30 bodies per second.

05. Starfish: 0.009 km/h

Starfish are slow-moving marine invertebrates that usually have five arms. Their bodies’ upper parts are hard, while the bottom has organs like suckers and pincers, which allow them to move slowly on the sea surface and also be propelled by water currents. Although most starfish move very slowly, some can move as slowly as just 15 cm per minute. In fact, we can’t see them moving with our naked eyes while they are already moving at a top speed of 0.06 miles per hour. As their prey moves slowly, they don’t need to be hurried and never regret their slow movements. Their prey list includes mussels, coral, oysters, and clams. They don’t hesitate to eat injured or dead fish.

04. Garden Snail: 0.001 Km/h (3 ft per hour)

Garden snails are nocturnal and are most numerous during the spring and summer. They are easily found in backyards and parks, as well as shady areas of the woods. Garden snails are one of the world’s slowest moving creatures, taking an hour to cover a distance of 50 yards. Their sluggish mobility is caused by their boneless feet, which need muscular contractions. These contractions release mucus, which transforms into slime and keeps their path lubricated to easily move forward. However, this process drains a lot of water and energy. They don’t need fast movement as they are rarely threatened by predators. Being herbivorous, they don’t need to hunt or chase prey. If they feel threatened, they protect themselves by hiding in the thick shell present on their back. This thick and heavy shell is also a reason to slow down.

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03. Sea Anemone: 0.001 Km/h (4 inches per hour)

Looking like a flower, these invertebrates are closely related to corals and jellyfish. Sloths are the slowest among terrestrial mammals, but sea anemones are even much slower. These invertebrates spend most of their time attached to rocks and corals, waiting for fish or other prey to approach them closer. The choice of movement rarely and only happens when they feel threatened or under unfavorable conditions. From time-lapse photography, it can be estimated that Sea Ammonia can move a centimeter (approximately 0.39 inches) using its pedal disc.

02. Sea Pen: Considered Sessile but can still move

Sea Pens are colonial marine cnidarians that are found in all tropical and temperate waters around the world at a depth of 6100 meters or even more above the surface. Even though sea pens are considered sessile, they can still move. The sea pen inhabits a highly plankton-movement area. They use their peduncle as a root to anchor to the seafloor and remain attached. If necessary, they use the water current to migrate to another plankton-rich area and re-anchor their peduncles. Sea pens are threatened by organisms like nudibranchs and sea stars. The decision to migrate is only made when there is a lack of food or a predator threat.

01. Corals, Sea Sponges & Mussels: Sessile

Corals, sea sponges, and mussels are all living organisms of a group called sessile. Sessile means an organism lives its life without any movement.

These are all marine invertebrates that inhabit the deep ocean’s seabed. Among these, corals belong to the Cnidaria, sea sponges belong to the Porifera, and mussels belong to the Mollusca phylum.

This was our list of some of the slowest animals in the world. If any of these organisms have surprised you, or if you think another organism should be added to this list, tell us in the comments section.