Brown-throated three-toed sloth 30 Mar 2024

Brown-throated three-toed sloth

Costa Rica"s lush forests are habitats for two sloth species: Hoffmann"s two-toed sloth and the star of today"s homepage, the brown-throated three-toed sloth. Despite being larger than many tree-dwelling mammals, three-toed sloths have adapted by reducing their muscle mass and size to thrive on treetops. Their large stomachs have four chambers, which can make up to 30% of their body weight when full. These shaggy critters are so sedentary that algae grow on their coats. This symbiotic relationship provides them with a greenish hue, offering effective camouflage within the rainforest canopy. In 2021, these slow-moving creatures were declared national symbols in Costa Rica. Then-President Carlos Alvarado signed the initiative into law to emphasise the sloths" importance in the country"s ecosystem.

© Juan Carlos Vindas/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nature’s blue wonder
30 Mar 2025Mothering Sunday

More Desktop Wallpapers:

5 Sep 20242024 Toronto International Film Festival
10 Dec 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
Hello, is it tea you’re looking for?
12 Jun 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
More of a moustache than a beard?
15 Jul 2025Perseid meteor shower over Nevada, United States
25 Nov 2025Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Where is this hidden waterfall?
The sun sets on British Summer Time
19 Dec 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
20 May 2025World Bee Day
23 Apr 2024Saint Georges Day
25 Sep 2024Sequoia National Park, California, USA
A bevy of buzzers
Stunning symmetry
20 Jan 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
26 Sep 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Los Quetzales National Park, Costa Rica
15 Oct 2025Amethyst laccaria mushrooms, Seabeck, Washington, United States
29 May 2024World Otter Day
Serene waters on a trembling earth
31 Aug 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria
West of Windermere
30 Apr 2025International Jazz Day
20 Apr 2025Happy Easter!
19 Dec 2023Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland
30 Oct 2025Pushkar Camel Fair
In a world of their own
1 Nov 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
15 Jan 2025266 years of the British Museum
6 May 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland