Sloths

Alex Re

Hello,

welcome to on wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Re. On this podcast, we bring the wild to you, we take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. This is going to be an awesome episode, because I'm interviewing Sam troll, who's the co founder of the sloth Institute in Costa Rica. I know we're all gonna learn a lot from her. So time to really slow it down because we're talking about slop.

Unknown Speaker

So there are six different species of sloths, and they're divided into two categories, two fingered or three fingered sloths. They can also be referred to as two Toad or three toed sloths, but the difference in their digits is not in their toes, but in their front limbs. The two fingered sloth has two digits on their front limbs, and the three fingered slaw has three digits. Interestingly enough, both of these types of slugs have three digits on their hind legs. Another difference between them is that two fingered sloths are nocturnal, while three fingered sloths are diurnal, meaning that they're active during the day. And sloths are only found in Central and South America in the rain forests. But 1000s of years ago, an ancestor of the moderns loft lived in North America, it was called the giant ground sloth. This loft did not live in trees, and it was about 10 feet tall and weighed over 2000 pounds. Anyways, back to modern day, Sloss assaults, close closest relatives are actually ant eaters. And in the wild, sloths can live around 20 to 30 years depending on the species. But there's still a lot of research to be done about their lifespan, and sloths weigh around 15 to 20 pounds. But what's crazy is that about a third of that weight can be attributed to just their stomachs. They spend most of their time in trees, and they have a lot of really cool adaptations that help them survive up there. But we're gonna get into that when I sit down with Sam. On a sloths front and hind limbs, they have really long claws that are curved. And these claws can be around four inches long in some species. They help mostly with hanging from trees. But what's really interesting is that a sloths claws aren't really claws at all. They're actually very elongated finger bones. Most animals claws are made up of a substance called keratin, which is actually the same stuff that makes up our fingernails. But sloths claws are made up mainly of their bones with a layer of keratin on the outside. And there's some research that suggests that sloths are able to pick up vibrations using their claws, and this can help them detect if a predator is nearby. This is important because loss don't have the best hearing or eyesight, so they have to rely on their sense of touch and smell. For example, male sloths are known to mark trees with their scent using a scent gland. Also, although slots are known for being sleepy, new research shows that they don't sleep as much as we once thought they did. It was originally thought that slots in the wild sleep for around 15 hours a day. But now it's believed that they only sleep for around nine hours a day. The difference in data could be due to the fact that the older studies were only researching sloths that lived in captivity and not in the wild. Either way, sloths sleep a little bit more than humans do. And this is because sleeping helps them conserve energy. Okay, so there's a lot more really cool information about Sloss to be learned. So we're gonna take a break. And after the break, I'm sitting down with Sam troll to delve deeper into the lives of these amazing creatures. Time for a trivia question. Which of these animals has the fastest punch in the animal kingdom? A the mantis shrimp be the praying mantis. See kangaroos, or D humans? The answer is A. The Mantis Shrimp can throw a punch as fast as 50 miles per hour. Hi, Sam, how are you doing today? I'm doing great. How are you? I'm good. Thanks for coming on. And thanks for coming to spread some knowledge about sloths. It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me. So before we get into this loss, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sam Trull

Yeah, so I I'm from Durham, North Carolina originally. And I did my undergraduate degree duology at North Carolina State University. And then I did my graduate degree, a master's in primate conservation at Oxford Brookes University in the UK. And I basically, I got my start with, with animals when I was a little teenager, who went to intern at a place called the Duke lemur center. And that's in Durham, North Carolina. And I basically just became obsessed with lemurs, and stayed there for 12 years. And then started to branch out and went on some different expeditions to various places, West Africa and Madagascar. Um, and then I took a trip to Costa Rica, teaching a primate studies course, for high school and college students. And then that was my first experience with Costa Rica, and my first experience was loss.

Unknown Speaker

That's awesome. Could you talk a little bit about the sloth Institute and what you do there.

Unknown Speaker

So the sloths Institute was started in 2014. And we are our mission is to enhance the welfare and conservation of Sloss through research through education, and also through actually rescuing rehabilitating and releasing them. So basically, we try to tackle the problems that they face from a multifaceted approach. We started pretty small, it's just a research project, basically, to figure out how to release hand raised orphans loss, because previously, it had been thought that losses have been hand raised by humans, could not be released back into the wild. But I was current, I was previously working at a different Rescue Center. And, um, and that was when I first you know, experienced and was given a baby sloths arrays that had been orphaned. And after all, the sleepless nights waking up every two hours feeding these loss, and, you know, completely falling in love with them. I just thought to myself, there's literally no way I'm leaving them in a cage for the rest of their lives. Like, that's not why I did this. And so that's really why the sloth Institute was started was to learn as much as possible about floss to be able to get them back into the wild successfully. And that's expanded into not just successfully rehabilitating and releasing orphans loss, but also handicaps loss on ones that have been badly injured through electrocution, dog attacks. And then also, I'm documenting this whole process that we can share with others how we've done it, that's the research side. And we also tried to make the habitat better for this loss, because they obviously face a lot of dangers in the wild because of humans. We have different programs for that we try to educate people about loss and how to help them. And really, yeah, like I said, we just try and tackle every single thing we can, because then In short, we're obsessed with loss. And we would like to make sure they stay around forever and are happy and healthy.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, that's really amazing. And no, no wild animal wants to be in captivity forever. So you always want to figure out, what's the best way to release them safely back into the wild. So that's, that's awesome.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think that's one thing people take for granted is they think sloths are really slow and lazy. So Oh, they'll be fine in a cage. But they're honestly some of the most unhappy creatures I've seen in cages, especially three fingers loss, I think it stresses them out even more than some other animals that I've worked with. So it's extremely important for them to be free.

Unknown Speaker

Really, that's interesting. So, going off of that the defining characteristic of sloths is how slow they are. So what makes them so slow? And does this actually give them an advantage in the wild?

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, so plus had to slow metabolism of any mammal. And so because of that, they're very slow, but then also, they do not bring in a lot of calories from their diet. They're herbivores, three fingered sauce, or strict herbivores and two fingers floss are basically herbivores with potentially some opportunistic animal matter might be in their diet, like eggs or some kinds of insects, but three fingers sauce are strict strict herbivores. And so eating leaves in the forest as delicious as they make it look because they sure do enjoy them, really does not bring in a lot of calories, so they can't exert a lot of calories. However, being slow is not just a way for them to conserve energy. It is also an excellent excellent way to be invisible in the forest and floss both kinds are one of the number one prey species for a lot of different predators here in Costa Rica, like ocelots for example, and by swass being slow. They are extremely silent. I mean, we have a team of people watching floss all the time. And they can, and they literally will be sitting there and watching us all for hours and hours on end. And if they look away for five minutes, and the slop decides to move in that five minutes, they can lose them very easily and not be able to find them again, because you cannot hear where they go because they're so good at being silent. And that really helps to make them invisible on the forest. And being invisible in the forest is really the way they avoid predators.

Unknown Speaker

Wow, you never really think that being slow is actually a way to avoid predators.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, they're basically just like sneaky little spies trying to get around the danger.

Unknown Speaker

of do floss have any other features that give them advantages in the wild?

Unknown Speaker

Sure, they have very amazing hair. So their hair, they have like three finger sauce, for example, I have two different kinds of hair, they have a longer outer hair and then a short undercoat. And both of those kinds of hairs. Keep them very warm, because even though it's the rain forest, and it's generally pretty hot here and the rainy season, and the other night, when it's raining a lot, you can actually get really, really cold, especially for a slaw, so that hair helps to insulate them, and it helps to keep them dry. And it also helps to keep ants from getting on their skin and biting them. And other insects that might sting them and hurt them. So their hair is really kind of like their shield. And it also is a its own ecosystem. So a lot of other things live inside of their hair. So algae lives on their hair, different funguses live on their hair, lots of different organisms can live in their hair beetles, there's a special swath moth that you've probably heard of. So all of those things are the hair is a very, very important part for them. They're obviously excellent climbers, they're amazing swimmers, both kinds of flaws. So in the rain forest, for example, there's obviously there's lots of different bodies of water that can be in the rain forest. And especially if there's like a flash flooding of rain, the rivers can get really high. And so if a sloths were to fall in the river, if they didn't know how to swim, obviously, they would drown. But if they do know how to swim, they they're fine. If they fall into a body of water, they it's also a really good way of getting through open gaps natural open gaps in the rain forest by being able to swim. They They're really good. They have special tendons in their their hands and feet, that allow them to hang for really long periods of time without exerting any energy. So yeah, I mean, there's a lot of different amazing things about them. three fingers loss have more vertebrae, cervical vertebrae in their neck than a draft, all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, which you might already know, including us, including drafts, including elephants, the only ones that don't are manatees and floss, manatees have six. And then sauce can have between five and 10. And three fingered slots have between eight and 10. They have more bones in their neck than a drag. Wow, I never knew that. I know, it's really cool.

Unknown Speaker

So, so kind of going off of what you were saying about them hanging upside down, how are they able to hang upside down for such long periods of time, without all the blood rushing to their head or anything like that?

Unknown Speaker

Well, they do have, um, special tissue inside of them, that keeps their organs kind of in place for them to be able to hang upside down and not put too much pressure on their lungs and things like that. Um, but yeah, I mean, the fact that they, those, those tendons in their hands and legs are really super important. And their arms and legs are really super important. Because by having those they exert almost no energy while hanging so they can really essentially hang forever, it seems like, and it also makes those hands and feet extremely strong. And that's a huge, huge advantage for them. Because it obviously makes them more secure when they're climbing, it makes it so they don't exert any energy when they're hanging. And it also means they're extremely good at pinching, which can be a problem if you're, if your work if you have to handle them for rehabilitation, you have to know what you're doing so you don't get hurt. Because there definitely been times when we've accidentally been trying to restrain a slot and they clamp down on one of your fingers. And there's nothing you can do to get that hand off until they decide to take it off. And by then, like you can't feel your finger anymore. That's painful. You have to be really careful. Yeah, it's definitely they definitely can be very painful.

Unknown Speaker

So do they ever really come down from the tree? I know that you mentioned that they they're really good swimmers. Do they come down from the tree that they're in often or do they spend most of their lives up there?

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, so they definitely spend most of their time at the tops of the trees. the tops of the trees are extremely important for them. However, they do come down to the ground for a few things. The the one main thing, that's the super famous thing is that they come down to the ground to go to the bathroom. Um, which a lot of people think is really crazy and weird, and why would they do that. And it's kind of one of those things that I think a lot of ecologist and people that don't work exclusively with loss get most fascinated by because they think it's more dangerous for them to come down to the ground to go to the bathroom. But in my opinion, it's actually not necessarily more dangerous for them to come down to the ground, because they have plenty of predators that can get them from up high and down low. And in actuality, when you watch loss, especially for as long as we have, you see that again, going back to the being invisible, and being silent thing, they are much more quiet, coming down to the ground to go to the bathroom, than if they were to do it from above, because when you do it from above, I mean, it's like pouring a giant pitcher of water from the top of a tree, like everyone who's any, anyone who's a who's nearby can hear that. So I believe they actually probably do that in order to stay more quiet. But they will also come down to the ground if they need to cross a gap in the in the forest. Which in a natural forest isn't super common. But of course, in areas that have been fragmented from human encroachment into into that forests, they have to do that more and more. And then that's where it really starts to get dangerous. Because on the ground, there's cars, there's dogs, there's a lot of different human elements are just humans themselves that can snatch them up. So they will come down to the ground when they need to. They're really not as averse to it as I think people originally thought. But they do look a little bit strange when they're crawling on the ground versus when they're up high in the trees, where they are, you know, extremely adept at climbing.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, and that's, that's really sad that they have to do that. Because it seems like they're really not well equipped to be crawling on the ground there, they are the most comfortable in the tree.

Unknown Speaker

Absolutely. And it exerts a lot more energy to have to crawl on the ground versus climbing very effortlessly in the trees. So do sloths make good parents. Um, so from everything we've seen, the dads are pretty much non existent in the lives of the babies. So I would have to say the dads are a little bit of deadbeats in the flock world. However, the moms are excellent parents. And again, going back to the the need for them to conserve energy, they carry their children around with them, they carry their baby around with them for between six months to a year of their life. So for three fingers loss, it's usually for about six months out of their life. And for two fingers losses to the first year of their life. They're physically carrying their baby on them that whole time. And that's a lot of extra weight, especially like if you look at two fingers lost by the time they're a year old, they're half the body weight of the mom, Wow, that's a lot of extra weight to have to carry around with you. And when you need to conserve energy. That's a big deal. that's a that's a lot of maternal investment. And even before they give birth, the gestation is relatively long. So in three fingers loss is six months. And in two fingers losses, the gestation is about 10 months between 10 and 11 months. So that's longer than human gestation. So they really do put a lot of energy into their children. And I think they're they're pretty excellent moms, sometimes. I don't know if you've heard any stories, but sometimes people like to say they think soft flosser are Bad Moms because they've seen suas flop, babies fall out of the tree and the mom doesn't come down to get them. And what I think they don't realize is that one, there's there, it might be hard for the mom physically to get down out of the tree, she has to have a clear path and to if there's a lot of people around and a lot of dangers around. She might feel like it's not safe enough for her to come down. But if the baby's crying like we've reunited lots of slop moms and babies, and it just really needs to be a calm situation where the baby cries, the mom can hear it. And absolutely, they'll come down and get their baby.

Unknown Speaker

Oh, that's that's a lot of great dedication by the thumbs. Yeah, exactly. So what role do sloths play in the ecosystems that they live in?

Unknown Speaker

Well, basically, I've already mentioned a few things. Like I said, their hair is home to a lot of other tinier creatures and organisms, which is pretty important because it's like they basically have their own ecosystem in their hair. But also they are, unfortunately for them a really a really important prey species for a lot of predators with Isn't my favorite thing to think about since I'm on, you know, I'm the slot fan, I'm, you know, mom to surrogate mom to a lot of these creatures, I don't really like to think about that as being one of their roles but you know, circle of life and everything, it is an important part that they play in the forest. And for, you know, our algae and fungus and things that are in their hair, they do also help transported around the forest. So like a typical thing you might think of with a monkey is that they're seeing dispersers for example. So Sloss, maybe don't travel as far through the forest as monkeys do to become substantial seed dispersers. But they do still travel around a lot faster than algae does. Right? So they help distribute the algae through the forest and some of these beetles and moss and things that they help transport around the forests. So

Unknown Speaker

yeah, I mean, that's, that's really important. Obviously, Sloss are kind of facing a lot of issues right now. Can you talk a little bit about sloths, selfies, and why they're harmful to the sloths?

Unknown Speaker

Absolutely. Thanks for asking that question. So unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably notice that floss are extremely popular right now in a lot of different cultures all over the world. And I get it. I mean, they're adorable. I am crazy obsessed with them. So I totally understand. But sometimes the the flip side to that is that people see them, they think they're adorable. And then that makes them want to be near them. It makes them want to touch them and makes them want to take pictures with them. Because Oh, how cool. Do I look holding a slaw? The problem is that by taking selfies with sauce, you are supporting an industry that takes them out of the wild, and puts them in a captive situation specifically for the purpose of making money off of those pictures, and they become photo props. And that's all that they are. And this happens in a lot of different places. And basically every country where Sloss exists, this happens, this has happened here in Costa Rica, we've rescued floss from this, it happens in Honduras, it happens in Panama, it happens in Brazil, it happens in Suriname, I mean, it really happens in every country where sloths are found. And it happens in the United States flosser brought from other countries and brought to the US for people to take pictures with them. And it's a really big problem because like, like I've been through before, especially for three fingers sauce, they do not survive while in captivity. So it's a never ending cycle of getting sauce from the wild. Maybe they live a couple years in this industry, they die, and then they just go and get more. And it's really sad because it takes their freedom away. And it's essentially it's an industry that you're supporting because you think you like this animal. But if you really truly cared about it, then you you wouldn't do this because you're you're supporting hurting them.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, that's really sad. And I think a lot of people don't realize that. They're not cats and dogs. They don't belong in captivity. with humans, they belong in the trees with nobody else around. Exactly. Yeah. So this is going to be my last question, by the way. So are sloths facing any other challenges that are caused by humans?

Unknown Speaker

Yes. So, um, we have the selfies we talked about here in Costa Rica and especially in the town where where we are in there. I mean, the the first and biggest problem for them is obviously habitat destruction, which I know habitat destruction is basically the biggest problem for all wildlife all over the world. And that is true for loss because you know, entire forest can be destroyed for plantations or for building things. But even but the thing that's unique about floss is that even very minor habitat destruction can disturb their way of life. For example, here in Milan, Tonio, it's a place with beautiful beaches and rolling hills and from the tops of the hills looking out over the beach. Everyone loves that view, right? I mean, everyone, like they people lose their minds because they think it's the most beautiful thing they've ever seen. The problem is, in order to get that view from certain buildings and houses and villas, trees have to be trimmed and trees have to be cut and it's a never ending thing that happens every single season over and over again, and even just trimming certain parts of trees if you don't do it correctly. It cuts the connection in the forest for the slaw. So they either have to come down to the ground To get to different parts. So first loss habitat destruction is really harmful on every level. And then they also hear a male Antonia they get electrocuted by accidentally climbing on the power lines, which they're forced to do because of habitat destruction. They get attacked by dogs that are just running crazy. stray dogs. So they have a lot of challenges facing them.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah. And you've shown how important they are to the ecosystem? And how, why wouldn't we want these really adorable creatures around? So we can observe them from afar, you know? Absolutely. That's what I think. So before you go, where can we find more information about the sloth Institute?

Unknown Speaker

So we have a website, which is the sloth institute.org. And then you can also find us on Facebook, and on Instagram.

Unknown Speaker

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us again. And I really learned a lot about sloths and how important their conservation is. So thanks again.

Sam Trull

My pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.

Unknown Speaker

That was such a cool interview, I really learned that everyone can play a part in the conservation of these animals. sloths are being exploited because of their photogenic faces. But this is causing a major issue for them. It's up to us to put an end to this by not supporting these businesses. Also, you should absolutely check out the sloth Institute. Some other organizations that you can also take a look at our the sloths Conservation Foundation, and the sloth sanctuary. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of sloths. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast and links to organizations that we reference@www.on wildlife.org and that's on wildlife.

Jess Avellino

You've been listening to on wildlife with Alex Re brought to you every Wednesday.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai