Research Paper On Two Toed Sloths

Sloths are very strange animals with their sluggish behaviors, yet they are very interesting at the same time. Sloths belong to the mammalian order Xenarthra, which also includes armadillos and anteaters. There are two different kinds of sloths, the two-toed and the three-toed sloth. There are four species of three-toed sloths and two species of two-toed sloths. Two of these species of sloth can be found in the tropical forests of Costa Rica, the brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). Both of these sloths are found on both the Caribbean and the Pacific slopes, most elevations, and in pristine and disturbed forests (Wainwright). The general appearance of these two sloths

Both of these sloths can be found in nearly all elevations with the three-toed going up to 2400 m and the two-toed being seen as high as 3,300 m (Wainwright). While both kinds are found in primary forest, secondary forests, and subtropical lowlands, the three-toed is much more commonly seen. This is due to the fact that the three-toed is active during the day and night, while the two-toed is mostly nocturnal (Wainwright). Both sloths spend nearly all of their time in the tree canopy and for the most part they do not prefer specific species of trees. Three-toed and two-toed sloths have little muscle mass and low heart rates, so they do prefer to be in taller trees in which they can bask in the sun in order to maintain a warmer body temperature (Jung, Apostolopoulos). The home range size for Hoffman’s two-toed sloth is 2-3 ha, while the brown-throated three-toed sloth is typically less than 2 ha

The conservation status of Hoffman’s two-toed sloth is also listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to wide distribution, presumed large populations, occurrence in many protected areas, and its tolerance of habitat modification (Choloepus). However, sloths are in danger of having decreases in population due to ongoing deforestation, which cause habitat degradation and fragmentation, and hunting (Wainwright). The way to eliminate this danger is to prevent excessive deforestation and