The ONE wildlife species I really wanted to see in Costa Rica was a sloth. I thought, how hard can it be? They literally move slower than molasses so it seemed as though they’d be easy to spot. I was wrong.
Beginning on our first night walking tour outside Tortuguero Village with a guide I had my camera at the ready to capture one of these furry slow-moving mammals.
Sloths are the sluggish tree-dwelling mammals found in the rainforests of Central and South America. An extremely low metabolic rate causes them to sleep nearly 20 hours per day and the balance of their time is spent ever so slowly munching tender buds and leaves of the tree canopy.
An interesting fact is that they spend the vast majority of their time hanging upside down. I was also surprised to find they have extremely long claws, perfect for hanging out in treetop canopies but not so easy on the ground.
Night one our guide did spot a sloth. Do you know what a sloth looks like when sleeping in a tree? It looks like a large hairball or bird’s nest….absolutely unexciting.
The next day, eager to improve my sloth sighting quest, we headed on another guided walk into the Tortuguero National Park. Sloth facts were quoted as we walked, including their surprising ability to swim, but I wanted to actually get my eyes on one of those hairy slow-movers.
Another sloth was sighted. Another round hairy bundle high in a tree. Disappointed again!
How could it be so very challenging to get a decent glimpse of the slowest moving land mammal on earth?!
After a delightful walk spotting other wildlife including several species of monkeys, lots of butterflies, and a few varieties of birds and lizards we began working our way back to the village where I detoured back to the site of the “spotting” and VOILA.
A mommy sloth and her baby were awake and on full display high in the treetop. They were positively as fascinating as I had hoped. At the end I got my sloth sighting and all I have to say is thank goodness for a good telephoto lens! Sloth quest complete.
The post Sloth Sighting! appeared first on The Next Big Adventure.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment