A Busy Sloth | February 2025
Tender has been busy exploring a habitat that is both familiar and new! He crossed the road to navigate the tall sangrillo trees of the maritime zone and explore the Bluff where we usually spot Luiza and has now returned to his usual stomping ground of palm trees and tourists at Tasty Waves.
We spent weeks wondering if he had used the Sloth Crossing spanning the street (bridge SC-262) which is frequently used by many opossums and a troop of howler monkeys. We haven’t spotted Tender using that one, but we did see him on bridge SC-288, which connects Tasty Waves with the neighboring property.
Can you spot Tender’s collar antenna?
We also spotted his mother, Tiki, using the bridge that runs along the front of the restaurant (SC-122).
We installed this bridge specially for Tiki, during our first Sloth Festival!
Without these bridges, sloths are forced to use powerlines or crawl across the ground to reach new trees, where they are at risk of electrocution, dog attacks, car strikes, and being harassed by humans. So far, SloCo have installed over 360 Sloth Crossings in the region, creating the largest network of wildlife bridges in the world!
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) we have been able to highlight another 100 areas with little to no connectivity between trees and where the wildlife will benefit most from a Sloth Crossing. You can help us create safer routes for sloths as they navigate their quickly changing habitat by sponsoring a Sloth Crossing or making a donation!
How’s it hanging? | Sloth Facts
Sloths have surprisingly strong grip strength, which allows them to hang from branches for extended periods without expending much energy. Their long, curved, hook-like fingers and toes lock onto tree limbs with minimal muscular effort through their specialized limb flexor muscle organization. Combined with their energy-efficient muscle structure, sloths can produce a grip three times stronger than humans!
Because of their unique grip mechanics, sloths are the perfect candidates for our wildlife brides. The texture and thickness of the rope mimics the small-diameter branches they naturally grasp in the wild, allowing their claws to hook securely around them. Our Sloth Crossings are proving crucial in fragmented habitats, helping sloths cross gaps between trees safely, reducing their need to descend to the ground where they are vulnerable to predators, road traffic, and human disturbances.