El Valle de Antón, Panamá, S.A. Story by Tamara Rowe
Photos by Wendy Brausam
www.UncoverPanama.com
What’s a sloth?
Being from North America, I was unaware of sloths. So, I went on line and found that these amazing little creatures are really interesting. Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals found in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. There are two species of sloths: two-toed and three-toed, ours was a three toed. Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short-flat heads.
Being from North America, I was unaware of sloths. So, I went on line and found that these amazing little creatures are really interesting. Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals found in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. There are two species of sloths: two-toed and three-toed, ours was a three toed. Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short-flat heads.
Sloths are omnivores. Their main diet, consist mostly
of twigs, buds and fruit leaves, mainly from Cecropia trees. The leaves, provide
very little energy or nutrition and do not digest easily. Sloths therefore have
very large, specialized, slow-acting stomachs with multiple compartments in
which symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves. As much as two-thirds of
a well-fed sloth's body-weight consists of the contents of its stomach, and the
digestive process can take a month or more to complete. Talk about constipation…
The Sloths’ fur have specialized functions; the outer
hairs grow in a direction opposite from that of other mammals. In most mammals,
hairs grow toward the extremities, but because sloths spend so much time with
their legs above their bodies, their hairs grow away from the extremities in
order to provide protection from the elements while the sloth hangs upside
down. The sloth is the world's slowest mammal, so sedentary that algae grows on its furry coat.
Their fur has a greenish tint that is useful camouflage in the trees of its
Central and South American rain forest home.
Three-toed sloths also have an advantage that few
other mammal posses; they have an extra neck vertebrae that allows them to turn
their heads some 270 degrees.
Because the three-toed sloth can not stand on level surfaces, they are rarely seen on the ground. However, it usually descends to the forest floor once a week to defecate and urinate. On land, sloths' weak hind legs provide no power and their long claws are a hindrance. They must dig into the earth with their front claws and use their strong front legs to pull themselves along, dragging their bellies across the ground.
Only the size of a small dog, if caught on land these animals have no chance to evade predators, such as big cats, and must try to defend themselves by clawing and biting.
Because the three-toed sloth can not stand on level surfaces, they are rarely seen on the ground. However, it usually descends to the forest floor once a week to defecate and urinate. On land, sloths' weak hind legs provide no power and their long claws are a hindrance. They must dig into the earth with their front claws and use their strong front legs to pull themselves along, dragging their bellies across the ground.
Only the size of a small dog, if caught on land these animals have no chance to evade predators, such as big cats, and must try to defend themselves by clawing and biting.
Sloths' claws serve as their only natural defense. A
cornered sloth may swipe at its attackers in an effort to scare them away or
wound them. Despite sloths' apparent defenselessness, predators do not pose
special problems: sloths live in the trees and, moving only in one speed, slowly
as not attract attention. Only during their infrequent visits to ground level
do they become vulnerable. The main predators of sloths are the jaguar, the
harpy eagle, and of course humans.
Their claws, as well as provide protection is used when hanging upside-down in a tree, they are held in place by the claws themselves. Their specialized hands and feet have long, curved claws to allow them to hang upside-down from branches without effort. While they sometimes sit on top of branches, they usually eat, sleep, and even give birth hanging from limbs. They sometimes remain hanging from branches after death.
Infant sloths normally cling to their mother's fur, but occasionally fall off. Sloths are very sturdily built and rarely die from a fall. In some cases infants die indirectly from the fall, because the mothers prove unwilling to leave the safety of the trees to retrieve the young.
Adult females produce a single baby each year. They give birth upside down hanging from a tree branch. The male sloths are very shy animals, so the females sometimes congregate together. Sloths are nocturnal; they are most active at night and sleep all day about 15 to 18 hours each day, sleeping hanging upside down. Even when awake they often remain motionless. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from plants. Sloths may live 10-20 years in the wild, some know to live up to 30 years and in the same tree.
Their claws, as well as provide protection is used when hanging upside-down in a tree, they are held in place by the claws themselves. Their specialized hands and feet have long, curved claws to allow them to hang upside-down from branches without effort. While they sometimes sit on top of branches, they usually eat, sleep, and even give birth hanging from limbs. They sometimes remain hanging from branches after death.
Infant sloths normally cling to their mother's fur, but occasionally fall off. Sloths are very sturdily built and rarely die from a fall. In some cases infants die indirectly from the fall, because the mothers prove unwilling to leave the safety of the trees to retrieve the young.
Adult females produce a single baby each year. They give birth upside down hanging from a tree branch. The male sloths are very shy animals, so the females sometimes congregate together. Sloths are nocturnal; they are most active at night and sleep all day about 15 to 18 hours each day, sleeping hanging upside down. Even when awake they often remain motionless. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from plants. Sloths may live 10-20 years in the wild, some know to live up to 30 years and in the same tree.
Lunch in El Valle $12.00. Trip to the market
$10.00. Encounter with the three-toed sloth--PRICELESS!Tamara & Wendy
