We had such a treat this morning! Sitting on the deck, relaxing, when Michael noticed a sloth walking across the yard beside ours. We watched him climb a tree and very persistently coax a big leaf over with his long claws to transfer himself to another tree. Impossible! We wondered how (and why) he would attempt it...the leaf shredded whenever he tried to clutch it, and it was a long reach. He knew what he was doing...(how?!) It took him about 10 minutes to get a grip on the leaf just right. Then he sloooowly shifted his weight so he was balanced and resting. Once his motion stopped, he sloooowly turned and made his way up the tree. Unbelievable! We wondered if he'd gone to the top of that tree just to look around because he very presently came down to cross our front entrance. We sat two feet away from him, videotaping his pilgrimmage. He stopped and regarded us, but showed no sign of distress or irritation. This quality actually makes sloths vulnerable to predators. They are actually faster than commonly believed, when they choose to be, and they do have long, sharp claws and teeth, but they are no match for the attack of a dog.
Sloths go to the ground to go to the bathroom about once a week, digging a hole and covering it afterwards. They go to the same spot each time and are vulnerable to predation while doing so. Nobody knows why they do this, although they will pee from up in the tree if its raining.
We are so grateful to have experienced this moment!
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