D A pygmy three toed sloth clings to a high mangrove branch on the Panamanian island of Escudo de Veraguas The tiny island is just 1 6 square miles 4 1 sq km but the male sloth has seen only a fraction of his homeland Lounging in the treetops munching on abundant buds and tender shoots he has no need to explore this island the only place on Earth where his kind
A Sr He leaves the tree only once a week sometimes taking half the day to reach the rainforest floor Once there the sloth moves with purpose He uses his front claws to drag himself along the ground to DNS a familiar place Vulnerable to predators the sloth drops his feces as quickly as possible and then heads back to the safety of his home in the
