Social media is filled with photos and videos of people holding sloths (or other wildlife), and we are investigating the reasons behind this behavior, as well as public perceptions and experiences regarding encounters with sloths.

The Maned Sloth, also known as Bradypus torquatus, indigenous to the Atlantic coastal rainforest of Brazil, are threatened by human interference, hunting activities, deforestation, and habitat loss, as well as climate change that affect their behavior.