Sloths, Strange and Graceful Creatures
The sloth is an interesting animal that grows to the size of a medium-size dog. It has a small head and flat face with snub nose and beady eyes. It has long and bony arms that are well developed and feature curving claws that enable the sloth to hook over and grasp the branches. The sloths spend nearly their entire lives suspended upside down. They spend up to 18 hours daily sleeping curled up with its feet drawn close together and its head tucked between the forelimbs. Costa Rica car rental Company
These animals are arboreal creatures and are related to the anteater and armadillo. An interesting characteristic is that they pay plenty of attention to their hygiene. This is despite the fact that they shelter algae in their fur. That makes them have that greenish look, which also helps them camouflage from their predators. The sloth also may have communities of moths that live in the depths of its fur and feed on the algae.
In Costa Rica there are two species of sloths: the three-fingered sloth and the nocturnal, relatively omnivorous Hoffman’s two-fingered sloth. You’re more likely to see the three-fingered sloth, which is active by day. Car rental Costa Rica San Jose
At top speed a sloth can hardly cover a mile in four hours. However, when they are on the ground they are very awkward and have to crawl which makes them vulnerable to predators.
A sloth’s digestion works very slowly. Its metabolic rate is half that of other animals of similar size, and food remains in its stomach for up to a week. Nevertheless, it has evolved a large ruminant-like stomach and intestinal tract that is able to process large quantities of almost indigestible food. To compensate that amazing characteristic, it has sacrificed heavy muscle mass and consequently, mobility.
Additionally, sloths need warm weather to synthesize food. During long periods of cold weather, the animals may die from starvation.
It defecates about once a week and that is when the sloth descends to ground level. It digs a small hole with its hind limbs. It then defecates into the hole, urinates, covers everything with leaves, and goes back to its arboreal life. This process takes about thirty minutes and during this time, the “sloth moths” lay their eggs on the sloth dung. When they hatch, the larvae feed and pulpate on the feces. Then the adults will fly off and look for a new sloth.
Sloths may live for more than twenty years. They reach sexual maturity at three years, which is considered an old age for mammals of their size. Females yell to draw males, which have a bare orange patch on their back with unique sexual markings. Females give birth once a year, after a gestation period of six months. They spend half their adult lives pregnant.
If you want to find sloths, just look up into the green foliage of cecropia trees. That’s their favorite food.
Their heavy fur coat is an excellent insulation against heat loss. Nevertheless, its body temperature drops almost to the temperature of its surroundings at night. Just like cold-blooded reptiles, the sloth needs to take in the sun’s rays to bring its temperature to normal levels again.
If you want to learn more about this special mammal come to Costa Rica and visit is national parks or Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Refuge, near Cahuita.