The Wander Bracelet

"Sloths are being monitored under the Urban Sloth Project, a research initiative where we are studying the impact of urbanization and habitat disturbance on the lives, behavior, and activity of wild sloths in Costa Rica. This research will help us develop new conservation initiatives and improve our current ones!"

To learn more, visit our partner directly at slothconservation.org.

"We are using VHF collars that emit radio signals we can detect with a radio receiver. When the signal in the receiver is strong, it means we're close to the sloth! We manually take notes on the GPS points of the sloth. The sloth is usually high up in the canopy, and we have to make sure to visually confirm the collar and antenna on the sloth to be sure it is the one we're tracking."

To learn more, visit our partner directly at slothconservation.org.

"Absolutely not! VHF collars are really safe and scientists have been using these devices for years! The collars are also really light and do not interfere with the regular activities of the wild sloths.  The batteries of the collars can last up to 2 years. Once we fit the collar on the sloth, we set the sloth free and can monitor it for several months without the need to recapture the sloths to change batteries. They live their lives up in the trees while we track them on the ground."

To learn more, visit our partner directly at slothconservation.org.

Sloths live in rainforest ecosystems throughout Central and South America, including Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Columbia, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, and Honduras.

Sloths have been known to live for 40–50 years in captivity, though captive breeding programs have only existed for roughly 50 years, so that figure may increase with time. Researchers have no way of knowing how long sloths live in the wild—traditionally, looking at an animal’s teeth will give us a good idea, but sloths’ teeth continue to grow and wear down as they age.

The oldest known two-fingered sloth, Paula, lived at a zoo in Germany; the oldest three-fingered sloth, Buttercup, celebrated 27 years at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

Only two species of sloth are considered endangered: the pygmy three-fingered sloth of Panama is critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while the maned sloth of Brazil is classified as vulnerable.

Estimates range for how many sloths are left in the wild, that number landing anywhere from the hundreds to several thousands. What we know for sure is that factors such as habitat loss, urbanization, tourism, the pet trade, and more all play a part in declining sloth populations.

Learn more about issues facing sloths in Costa Rica via our partner here.

Sloths are very, very slow. So slow, most predators won’t even notice they’re there. Sloths have even evolved not to react to loud, sudden noises so they don’t accidentally blow their cover. They have no odor, either; the scent of algae and fungi on sloths’ fur identifies them more as plants than animals, camouflaging them from sight and smell.

If a more active defense is required, don’t underestimate them! Two-fingered sloths can make their hair stand on end to appear larger, and have a pretty nasty bite if provoked. Three-fingered sloths, however, are stuck with the “raise your arms above your head and look big” tactic.