Sloths

If you had to describe sloths in one word, it would probably be photogenic. With their slow movements and pretty faces, there is no animal on Earth that will strike a pose as willingly. These pretty animals can slowly steal your heart during your walk through the Costa Rican rainforest.

Most of a sloth’s life is spent the canopy, the uppermost, leafy part of the rainforest. The heavy rains and the animal’s lack of movement create the perfect environment for sloths to grow moss and little insects like moths on their backs. When it is time to come down, they take their time, usually taking a swim in rivers and lakes, if they are to escape from predators.

There are two types of sloths in Costa Rica: the “three-toed” and the “two-toed” sloth. Three-toed sloths have little black marks around their eyes. You’ll likely see them most during the day, as opposed to their two-toed counterparts. Two-toed sloths have brown fur and a little pig-like nose. They’re more active at night.

Both sloth types are so loved in Costa Rica that we have a sanctuary in the Atlantic that takes care of 140 of them. The owners of this sanctuary began their adventure over 20 years ago and take care of orphaned sloths or injured animals that need to be nursed back to health in order to be released into the wild once more.