FruitlessFetusSign upYour fetus now weighs about 3 kg, roughly a pygmy three-toed sloth, the smallest and rarest sloth in the world. It lives on a single tiny island of mangroves off the coast of Panama, and a 2012 census counted fewer than 100.
Sloths live life in the slowest lane of any mammal. They move so little that green algae grows in their fur, giving them a mossy tint and their own miniature ecosystem of insects, and they can take weeks to digest a single meal of leaves.
Yet they are surprisingly capable swimmers, and this island sloth paddles between the mangroves with unexpected grace, a reminder that slow is not the same as helpless.
Meanwhile, inside you
Your fetus this week is full term in all but name. They have a firm grasp, their organs are ready for life outside, and they are simply waiting for the signal to begin.