Unusual urban wildlife of Costa Rica

[urbpan]

The tour buses were working their way through the streets of Limon, a town created by the banana industry, when they pulled over for no apparent reason. All of us tourists got off the two buses, and the guides pointed up at a tree in a schoolyard ringed by chainlink fence. High in the tree, a mother sloth and her baby were trying to sleep, but were roused by the commotion. Bracing against the chainlink fence with my Father's camera, I managed to get this picture:

Comments

[ms-cantrell.livejournal.com]

what a gorgeous picture. does costa rica have any protective measures in place for their animals?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Presumably. They are a pretty ecologically positive country. Tourism is the big industry, and most tourism there is eco-tourism. About a third of the country is protected land.

[rinalia.livejournal.com]

Great picture.

I like sloths, mainly because Mina's toe nails are sloth-like.

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

Yay sloths! I hope we see some in Belize next year...

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I bet you do! They're surprisingly common. When are you going/for how long?

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

Probably in May. I'd like to go for at least 10 days. It's the first of our every-five-years anniversary trips. I want to try to do a circle and see most of the country b/c I hear once you get there, everything's pretty cheap.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bazilisk_/]

That's a sweet picture, mostly because- WTF? Sloths are urban?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I know! I was shocked. Limon is a pretty small town--a rural plantation town. In the big cities there weren't any sloths--mostly I remember seeing birds: boat-tailed grackles, clay-colored robins, and hummingbirds.

[jess-d-ripper.livejournal.com]

Sloths are adorable!

[shellizzle.livejournal.com]

THAT'S SO CUTE!!!!

[shellizzle.livejournal.com]

are they friendly? I want to pet it.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We encountered one that was low (usually they are high up in a tree and unpettable), and the tour guide touched it. It reacted very slowly. Then one of the tourists came over to touch it, and the guide quickly stopped her, explaining that they defend themselves with their very long claws.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, they are descended from the elephant-sized, omniverous megatherium. Those giant land-sloths had small pellets of bone in their hides to serve as armor against predetors such as the saber-toothed cats.

Sigh. Why are there no eco-tours of ice-age south america?

Oh that's right: early humans wiped them out.

--G