The brownthroated sloth is only found in Central and South America, and it's an animal I’m excited to study. So, I travel to Panama as a guest of Tranquilo Bay to see what I can learn.

TRAVEL LIKE ME
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If you'd like to follow in my footsteps and see a magnificent sloth for yourself, take a look at my travel page where you can find my itinerary and book a similar trip to Panama: https://www.robertefuller.com/travel/'>https://www.robertefuller.com/travel/

Or, follow this playlist and journey with me through Panama to see more extraordinary animal sightings:    • Panama  | Wild Travel | Robert E F...   And watch more of my travel adventures here:    • Wild Travel  | Robert E Fuller  

ABOUT THIS FILM
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Tranquilo Bay

Tranquilo Bay is on Panama’s Caribbean coast. This secluded island is home to a whole host of wildlife and owner, Jim, is here to show me around.

Amazing climbers

Sloths are slow, but it’s amazing how fast they can climb a tree compared to humans. Despite having less muscle mass than similar mammals, their grip strength is double that of humans and I watch it hang upside down from branches high in the canopy by one arm while scratching and holding its baby.

The sloth's leafy diet

Sloths are folivores, feeding on a low energy diet of tough, rubbery leaves. They only eat a couple of handfuls a day, but this can take up to two weeks to digest in a multichambered stomach. They compensate for this poor diet with a slowpaced lifestyle, expending as little energy as possible. These creatures have been around for about 65 million years, so it’s clearly lifestyle that works.

Sloth & baby

Brownthroated sloths’ mate between January and March, and after a sixmonth gestation, females give birth to a single offspring. It’ll be cared for until it reaches independence at about sixmonths old. So, the young one I’m watching still has a bit of learning to do before then.

At a monthold baby sloths can hang with ease, using their long, curved claws. For efficient climbing, females need to keep their weight low, so they don’t store milk, instead producing it in small drops throughout the day, which the baby suckles. Mother and baby share a close bond and I see them touching noses and licking each other. The baby is also licking at any bits of leaf around its mother’s mouth. By tasting the food mum has eaten, it learns which trees to eat from.

Sloths & moths

Some sloths have a green tinge. It’s algae in their fur. It helps them stay camouflaged in the trees. But this isn’t the only benefit. Algae is rich in fats and nutrients, which are sorely lacking from their leafy diet. So, for the energy conscious sloth, the algae acts as a mobile larder. To promote algal growth, the sloth has developed a surprising relationship with an insect. Their fur is home to a unique species, the sloth moth, and some sloths carry more than a hundred in their fur! The more moths they have the more algae and nutrients they carry. And in return, the sloth helps the moth, making the dangerous journey down to the rainforest floor to defecate so the female moths can lay their eggs in their fresh dung. This incredible symbiosis is key to the sloths’ unique lifestyle.

ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You can support my work by donating here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s... or joining one of my supporter communities: https://www.robertefuller.com/support...

Of course, you may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!

You can also follow me on these platforms:
Website: https://www.robertefuller.com
Facebook:   / robertefullerart  
Twitter:   / robertefuller  
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CHAPTERS
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00:00 Secrets Of The Sloth
00:57 Tranquilo Bay, Panama
01:22 Sloth Climbing
02:26 A Leafy Diet
03:05 Sloth Mum & Baby
04:08 Baby Branches Out
04:43 Surprising Symbiosis
05:56 Baby Returns To Mum
06:22 Sloth Baby Mealtime
07:52 Close Encounter
09:51 Climbing To The Canopy
11:19 A Unique Creature
11:47 Follow In My Footsteps…

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© Robert E Fuller

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