Well, it’s been a year, hasn’t it? Just when we thought we’d be getting back to normal after 2020, it turns out there is no new normal! If you are still trying to find your footing in this world going forward, know that you are not alone.

It’s the end of the year again—time to reflect, reorganize, and recap the best of 2021. So here are our top 10 blogs, articles, photos, and stories.

Over the last few weekends of December 2021, we and our sloth guardians in Puerto Viejo witnessed deforestation occurring in the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (MTZ) of the South Caribbean – specifically between Selina Hostel and the Cocles viewpoint.

What an amazing year we had! When we started this project we had no idea that we’d be installing more than 100 bridges… and in a few weeks, we’ll hit sloth crossing number 150! 

“Dear Santa, This year I have been extremely very mostly good, and for Christmas, I would really like for a sloth to go poop.”

The Urban Sloth Project is our latest scientific research project concerning sloth ecology, studying how habitat urbanization is impacting sloth health and behavior. For the next five years, we’ll be monitoring  32 wild sloths: 16 three-fingered and 16 two-fingered sloths.

Happy December everyone! Wait, how is it December already?The final months of the year sneak up on us here in the South Caribbean. We don’t have the seasonal markers that signal this time of year in temperate climes—there are no autumn leaves, first frosts, or snowfall. We do get extra tourists, choppy seas, and sometimes plagues of various bugs, but that’s not really the same thing.

In this episode of “sloths vs” we are taking a look at another member of the Xenarthra; the anteater. Anteaters are in fact the sloth’s closest living relative, though by “close” we don’t actually mean very close.

The humble sloth vs the mighty jaguar, how do these two mysterious mammals compare?

To measure a species only by the benefit it brings to human civilization is to take a very narrow view of the magnificence of life on Earth. Every organism has an important role to play in its own ecosystem, and if we are humble enough to receive their gifts, sloths have so much to give us.

To expand into new territories and look for mates or food. It isn’t hard to imagine why animals need to move around, but when you work in conservation, the more interesting question is: how?

“Oh great,” says Dr. Cliffe. “I have poop in my boot.”

“Don’t you mean ON your boot?” says Amelia, using a machete to get through a two-meter-long spider web.

“Nope,” says Dr. Cliffe. “It’s dribbled down. And it belongs to someone else.”

Boys and girls of every age, Wouldn’t you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, Some weird things out while sloth tracking!

What a wild month we’ve had! We got it through Slothtober with flying colors and even hosted the first-ever International Sloth Festival— if you didn’t manage to join us in person or online, check out our social media for details, pictures, and some great art.

GREAT excitement has followed my discovery, in an attic clean-out at Beachcomber Towers, of a manuscript believed lost for more than 2,000 years. Written by the ancient Greek philosopher Arislothl, it is nothing less than a complete version of his legendary masterpiece Lethargics outlining his highly influential views on the merits of nothingness. 

The sloth and the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) seem like two animals that have absolutely nothing in common. After all, they live on opposite sides of the planet from each other, prefer habitats that couldn’t be more different without being under water, and one is a small herbivore that eats leaves while the other is a large predator that eats whatever it wants.

Sloths these days are small, tree-dwelling animals that live high up in the rainforest canopy and do a good imitation of the plants they eat. They’re slow, they’re green, and they can’t jump—but a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests their ancestors weren’t the strict vegetarians their reputation would have us believe.

International Sloth Day has been celebrated since 2010, helping to raise awareness about sloths, wildlife conservation, and the importance of taking it easy. International Sloth Day on October 20th, is a holiday dedicated to raising awareness about the planet’s slowest mammals and the threats they are facing.