I've previously discussed an encounter with a two-toed sloth, a cute little fellow taking a nap in a tree. Two-toed sloths are characterized by two prominent claws on their front feet.
Today's Pic of the Day features its cousin, a three-toed sloth, also native to the rainforests of Central and South America. Three-toed sloths have three prominent claws on each front foot. These sloths were spotted on the Bogarin Trail in La Fortuna.
Sloths are the world's slowest moving mammals, so much so that algae grows in their fur, giving them a greenish color which helps them blend in with the trees in which they live. They spend almost their entire lives in the canopy, eatting leaves and fruit, from which they also get most of their water requirements. Sloths can sleep up to 20 hours a day and are solitary animals except when mating or raising an infant. Because of their camouflage and sedentary behaviour, they are hard to spot.
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