The three-fingered sloth: the facts you didn't know about this impressive mammal

12 Jan

The three-fingered sloth: the facts you didn’t know about this impressive mammal

What’s with the fur? Why do sloths sleep so much? This month, the three-fingered sloth is the animal of the month at Adopt Rainforest. And what’s more fun than hearing from one of the founders of Adopt Rainforest some fun facts that you won’t find in a standard biology book. Maarten van der Beek is one of the biologists at Adopt Rainforest and lives on the Work With Nature reserve in Costa Rica.

How does the sloth get its name?

You’ve probably read in the animal passport that the three-fingered sloth needs 16 hours of sleep a day. Yet they are most active during the day. How about that? The sloth eats leaves from many different trees that are difficult to digest. And yes then you have to rest a lot and sit still for hours to digest the substances found in the leaves, such as cellulose and hard organic substances. Hello lazy lifestyle!

They prefer the young leaves of different trees. The young leaves have few toxins and are more digestible. Are you looking for a sloth in the jungle? Then look for the tree Cecropia Segenis, the sloth’s favorite tree.

No lack of space

Did you know that a sloth only needs a small piece of land to live? They eat and lounge in about 10 to 15 trees that are within a few acres. There are some favorite trees among them where they sit in one tree one day and in another tree the next day. A real tree hugger you might say. Also very smart of them to alternate the trees because that way they wait until fresh leaves have grown on the trees.

The poop story

The sloth has the slowest metabolism of all mammals. A sloth defecates about once a week and it prefers to do so on the ground. They look for their favorite tree and there they climb down from the tree. Why they defecate near their favorite tree is a mystery to scientists! It could be that the sloth uses the poop to provide their favorite tree with new version leaves faster or they use the poop to mark their favorite tree for other sloths. Way to go, this is my favorite spot!

The coat as an ecosystem

Just like mosses live in critters, sloths get algae on their fur. Therefore, you can recognize the sloth by a greenish chamois around their fur. There is also one animal that does not leave sloths alone, and that is a special kind of moth that can only live in a sloth’s fur. When a sloth has young, they sometimes fly to another sloth, but otherwise the moth lives its entire life on the same sloth.

A cool sound during mating season

When it is mating season for the sloths, they make a very distinct sound. It is a bit similar to a human or owl screech. The males try to impress the females with this cool sound. And you know what else is handy? The biologists in our reserve immediately hear how many sloths there are in the area and enjoy the funny sound of the sloths.

Change can do no harm

The sloth is a tolerant species, that is, they can stand disturbance well. In the area they live in, they only need a few trees to survive. Is nature being affected? The sloth will then look for a place with many fast-growing trees, where it can provide itself with food and a place to live.

Protect the Sloth

Worldwide, the rainforest is threatened by humans, including Costa Rica and for the three-fingered sloth. However, do you want this beautiful animal to preserve its habitat? Then it is possible to adopt rainforest. How can this be done? Very easily! For only €2.50 per square meter you protect a piece of nature. Want to read more about protecting the rainforest? Then click here!

16 Jul

The rainy season part 2: Other frog species in Costa Rica

Did you know… in the wet months the frogs in Costa Rica show themselves more often? They are less prone to drying out because of the wetness and are singing because many species lay their eggs in the rainy season. Earlier we talked about the glass frogs, but there are many more frogs to be seen in this period. (more…)

20 Apr

High time for biodiversity!

High time for biodiversity

Did you know that 5% of all species of flora and fauna in the world live and grow in Costa Rica? Also, Costa Rica is in the global top 20 countries with the greatest biodiversity! Are you a real nature lover? Then put Costa Rica on your bucket list. But… before you pull your backpack and passport out of the closet, we want to give you a lesson about biodiversity. Maybe you have what it is, but to refresh your memory we’ll explain it to you in this blog. (more…)

02 Sep

The living proof of successful nature conservation

More than 11 years ago, the founders of the Adopt Rainforest foundation visited this beautiful area for the first time. What a beautiful area with giant big trees, several rivers and an enormous biodiversity of plants and animals. Yet there was something they both noticed immediately. There were no monkeys at all. (more…)

21 Sep

CO2 Compensation – How does that work?

Do you want to offset your CO2? But have no idea how CO2 offsetting works? In this article we will tell you all the ins and outs about CO2 compensation so that you can reduce your CO2 emissions and offset them in the right way.

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26 Aug

From pasture to a fully-fledged rainforest

Is it possible to restore the original rainforest in a deforested area where cows have been grazing for years? In Costa Rica at least they accept the challenge. This article tells in short how a Dutch foundation in Costa Rica is trying to transform degraded land back into a fully fledged rainforest. (more…)

15 Apr

Despite the corona crisis, investigations continue in Costa Rica

Despite the fact that there are no students because of the Corona crisis, the research continues (partly).

In the Netherlands, some students are busy analysing data, but also in Costa Rica inventories are still being made. Accompanied by guide Tapa, Hanneke and Maarten walk the transects in different habitats.

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19 Nov

The Hummingbird

Most species are between 7.5 and 13 cm in size. You would almost think it is an out-sized bumblebee! Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are the smallest birds in the world. They are a family of birds of the order swift-like. The family includes more than 300 species. Most species are found in South America. It is so much fun (more…)

10 Feb

Special glass frog in the reserve!

Now that student Sonny, a pure night tour specialist, is about to finish his internship, a lot of great discoveries are made at the last minute. To top it all off, last week we found a special glass frog in the reserve. This Hyalinobatrachium dianae – Diane’s Bare-hearted Glass Frog was only discovered and described […]

28 Aug

Butterflies in Costa Rica

When a butterfly flies by, most people do stop for a moment to follow it with their eyes. They often have beautiful colors and the large soft wings compared to the small body make them look almost cuddly. In Costa Rica there are more than 1200 species of butterflies and of course we are very curious about the species that occur in the reservation of Adopt Rainforest.

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08 Jul

The rainy season part 1: Glass frogs

In the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica most rain falls in May to August. The fact that it rains is good for all life of course, but can be quite difficult for our biologists in the Work with Nature reserve; the paths become muddy, the laundry doesn’t dry and the project is sometimes briefly inaccessible because rivers are filling up. (more…)

03 Oct

International Census of the Great Green Macaw

Critically endangered parrot species Yesterday the research program of Adopt Rainforest participated in the Censo Internacional de la Guacamaya Verde 2022. Or in English the International Sensus of the Great Green Macaw. Throughout its distribution, dozens of organisations participate in the next days to get an understanding of the current state of this parrot species. […]

12 Nov

Special reserve expansion realized!

Last summer we were able to open the proverbial champagne bottle again! Despite all external influences, we managed to formalize the purchase of a beautiful and especially strategically important piece of rainforest! It concerns the 9 hectares on which the research center is located. (more…)

21 Sep

Bird Watching in Costa Rica

Costa Rica, a country of which almost half is rainforest, is a true birding paradise. More than 900 species of birds can be found here. One of the most beautiful and special birds that has its habitat in Costa Rica, however, is the Resplendent Quetzal. A good reason to go bird watching in Costa Rica!

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