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Two-toed sloth, Cahuita National Park
Sloths are truly strange and interesting creatures! Costa Rica is home to two kinds of sloths—two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. While they have soft, thick fur, if you find one in the wild, you might not want to cuddle one. Can you guess what is hiding in all that fur? A whole ecosystem! Mites, beetles, caterpillars, and moths feast on the algae and mold deep within their fur. Sloths live in trees, spending about eighteen hours a day sleeping all curled up in the fork between branches or hanging upside down from a branch. They especially like cecropia trees, whose leaves are their main staple. Even when awake, they move extremely slowly. They only come down to the ground about once a week, and only because nature calls. They dig a hole to use and, when done, climb slowly back to the security of the treetop. What a life!