Before our visit to Costa Rica, my knowledge of sloths was limited to the Ice Age cartoons. I thought of sloths as adorable and a little clumsy but with a great deal of charm.
The Natuwa Macaw Sanctuary is a refuge for other animals as well as the Red Macaw, and this is where I had a close-up view of two orphan sloths.
They are the cutest things, and I spent ages watching them.
Here are some facts about Two-toe Sloths:
1. Sloths are herbivores and eat mainly leaves. Their diet is low-energy, so they don’t move around very much.
2. Their natural habitat is the rainforest in Central and South America.
3. They are called two-toed sloths because of the two claws on their forearms. In fact, all sloths actually have three toes!
4. Predators such as the ocelot, the jaguar, and eagles are their enemies.
5. A sloth sleeps for around 15 hours a day.
6. They spend most of their time hanging upside down in their tree.
7. They go down to the ground to toilet and usually do this around once a week.
8. They are excellent swimmers and enjoy the water.
As I said, I loved the sloths. They are mega-cute, and I am determined to write a sloth into an upcoming romance. Watch this space!
They really are adorable.