Where Can You Meet a Sloth?

We thought you'd never ask!

The best place to see sloths in the wild is Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica. The best place to meet a sloth, though? Blue Hills Ranch, right outside Waco, Texas.

His name is São the Sloth! São means Saint, and we think he is that and more.

Want to know more about sloths?

Sloths are fascinating creatures of the rainforest, known for their slow-paced lifestyle. However, there's much more to them than their laid-back reputation suggests. Here are some surprising attributes of these unique animals and the significant dangers they face.

Sloth Attributes

Surprising Strength: Despite having about 30% less muscle mass than similarly sized mammals, sloths are incredibly strong. From birth, they possess the strength to cling to their mothers and can easily pull up their entire body weight with just one arm. This impressive strength is due to a specialized muscle arrangement that allows them to hang from trees for extended periods, even after death.

A Mobile Ecosystem: A sloth's fur is a bustling microcosm of life. Their hair has cracks that trap moisture, creating a perfect environment for algae to grow. This algae provides camouflage, helping them blend in with the trees. This miniature ecosystem also hosts a variety of fungi, beetles, and moths, with some sloths carrying over 100 moths in their fur.

Exceptional Swimmers: While famously slow on land, sloths are surprisingly adept swimmers. They can move through water at a pace three times faster than they can move on the ground. To aid their aquatic abilities, they can slow their heart rate to one-third of its normal pace, allowing them to hold their breath for up to 40 minutes underwater.

Unusual Digestive and Metabolic Rates: Sloths have the slowest metabolic rate of any non-hibernating mammal, which is a primary reason for their sluggishness. It can take up to 30 days for a sloth to digest a single leaf. Their multi-chambered stomach can account for up to 30% of their body weight, and they only descend from the trees about once a week to urinate and defecate, losing up to a third of their body weight in the process.

Dangers to Sloth Survival

Habitat Loss: The primary threat to sloths is the destruction of their rainforest homes. Deforestation due to logging, agriculture, and urban development fragments the forest canopy, which sloths rely on for food, shelter, and movement. This forces them to travel on the ground, where they are more vulnerable.

Power Lines: As human development encroaches on their habitat, sloths often mistake power lines for tree branches. Frequent attempts to use these lines to travel between fragmented forest areas often result in extreme injuries, a leading cause of death for sloths in many areas.

Predation and Attacks: When sloths are forced to the ground due to habitat fragmentation, they become easy targets for predators such as jaguars and ocelots.

Connect with a Cause - Meet a Sloth!

Learning about these incredible animals makes meeting one in person even more special. An encounter with an animal ambassador like São at Blue Hills Ranch helps raise awareness for his wild cousins and supports conservation efforts. It's a chance to connect with one of nature's most unique creatures and be inspired by their story.

Book any tour or cabin stay and meet São!