Check out the beautiful smile on this sloth!
Check out the beautiful smile on this sloth!

When we went to Costa Rica, one of my highlights was discovering…the sloth!  It appears to be so peaceful and cute with its beautiful smile.  Its activities pretty much hold true to its name:  it uses very little energy to hang out in trees and it crawls at a snail’s pace from one place to another.  In fact, during one of our hikes, we discovered a three-toed sloth crossing the road.  I stared at it for 30 minutes – it moved about 12 inches.  Watch out for its claws which can cause some serious damage if you get too close.

I actually begged and pleaded with my husband to get one as a pet but alas, a lazy slow-moving sloth trapped in a NYC apartment wouldn’t have been cool.

Sloths are interesting creatures.  3 Fun Facts:

1.  Most two-toed and three-toed sloths live only in Central and South America and they eat mainly leaves.

2.  Although they’re super slow on land, they’re actually amazing fast swimmers in the water.

3.  Once a week, they climb down from the trees and poo / pee in the same spot and then climb back up again.

Swinging sloth - this guy can stay up in the trees for days.
Swinging sloth – this guy can stay up in the trees for days.
How long does it take for a sloth to cross the road?  Apparently a VERY long time.
I spent 30 minutes staring at this sloth crossing the road.  It moved about 12 inches.