Meeting with a 3-fingered Sloth (Bradipus tridactylus)

During a day of prospecting and collecting Heliconius in Kaw Mountain, I hear a noise, a crack in a tree… a fall of branches 5m from me, just the time to move! Once the calm returns, I approach… what a surprise in front of me, a sloth with 3 fingers has just fallen!!! Certainly the branch gave in under its weight.

A wonderful meeting, but also an improbable chance !

The sloth (Bradipus tridactylus) has, as its name suggests, 3 large claws on each hand. Its fur shelters chlorophyll algae which live in symbiosis on it, which gives it a greenish colour and gives it a perfect camouflage. Unlike other mammals, it has 9 cervical vertebrae which allow it a great flexibility of the blow and thus to feed by limiting the movements.

Biometry : 45-75cm length

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