They subsist on a diet of small animals, preferring birds, lizards, and small mammals to others. They are fearless, however, and do not hesitate to attack much larger prey such as cheetahs, leopards, and even lions. Once the sloth viper has fed, it often recoils high above the ground, under the thicket and blanket of leaves, branches, and limbs where it sleeps for the next 1d6 days.