4 Slowest Animals in the World You’ll Never See in a Hurry
Deepak Rajeev | Jan 21, 2026, 19:56 IST
Which are the Slowest Animals in the World?
Image credit : Freepik
Nature showcases incredible adaptations. Some animals move so slowly that they use it for survival. Sloths blend into trees with their slow pace. Snails glide on mucus trails at a speed of 0.03 miler per hour. Starfish shuffle along the ocean floor at a speed of 0.09 miles per hour. Sea anemones barely move, waiting for prey. These creatures offer lessons in patience and strategy.
Highlights
- Sloth's slowness helps it to camouflage and survive in the wild.
- Snails glid at a speed of only 0.03 miles per hour.
- Starfish shuffle along the ocean floor at approximately 0.09 miles per hour.
- Sea Anemones are considered the slowest animals in the sea.
Many of us associate fastness with the wild and animals. However, there are a handful of animals that are extremely slow to the point that they have transformed this trait into a survival strategy. Even the most slow-paced and boring movie in the world would make us feel more fulfilled than watching these animals move. Let’s take a closer look at these masters of slowness in the wild.
While thinking about slowness in the wild, the first animal that will pop up in the hearts of animal lovers is sloth. We can say, a YouTube video that is played at the slowest speed of 0.25x would be much faster than these animals. However, this trait is a blessing for them when it comes to the question of survival. Through this slow movement, they are able to easily camouflage and blend into the branches of trees.
With a top speed of just 0.15 miles per hour, they don’t usually move around. Wouldn’t it be meaningless to move around with this low speed? However, their entire lifestyle, including the low-energy diet of leaves, is structured in such a manner that supports this slowness. You can frequently see them either hanging upside down or sleeping. These are their main hobbies.
Gliding through a trail that is made up of mucus, this guy might actually be the slowest animal on land. The speed of snails is 0.03 miles per hour. Of course, they may not win any race, but they don’t have any complaints about the same.
People say that watching a starfish move would be like waiting to see the stars or moon in the sky move. They shuffle along the ocean at a speed of about 0.09 miles per hour. If you observe closely, you can see the tiny tube-like feet of starfish that is build for slow movement. In today’s fast-paced and busy environment, we have a lot to learn from these friends from underwater.
The truth is our eyes may not be able to catch the movement of these animals. Usually considered as the slowest animal in the sea, sea anemones shift less than a single centimetre in an hour. Indeed, most of the time they don’t move at all. They are almost always waiting for the preys to come toward them, proving to us that sometimes the best thing that you can do would be nothing at all.
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1. Sloths
A Sloth Hanging Upside Down
Image credit : Freepik
With a top speed of just 0.15 miles per hour, they don’t usually move around. Wouldn’t it be meaningless to move around with this low speed? However, their entire lifestyle, including the low-energy diet of leaves, is structured in such a manner that supports this slowness. You can frequently see them either hanging upside down or sleeping. These are their main hobbies.
2. Snails
Two Snails
Image credit : Freepik
3. Starfish
A Starfish Move at a Speed of About 0.09 Miles per Hour
Image credit : Unsplash
4. Sea Anemones
Sea Anemones Rarely Moves
Image credit : Pexels
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