Mother Sloth with Baby Clinging to a Costa Rican Treetop

Costa Rica is home to two sloth species: the brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). Females carry their young on their belly for several months after birth, as the infant lacks the strength to move independently through the canopy. Sloths spend nearly all their lives in trees, descending to the ground only about once a week to defecate. Algae growing in their fur gives many a greenish tint that helps camouflage them from predators like harpy eagles and jaguars.

Taken February 2019