Sloth in a Tree

This past Sunday Jim and I went outside to sit on our ledge to feel the sun, enjoy nature and to see if we would encounter José, the man with whom I had the conversation last Sunday. When we got to the ledge we opened our iPads to try to get WiFi from the chapel, but we weren't successful. I said to Jim that I wondered if there was a sloth in a tree across from the security gate and I thought I actually could see one; they really blend in! We hurried done the hill and what I thought was a sloth really was one! We took several stills and videos. 

Reaching out to grab a leaf. 

Turning around. 

Climbing up onto another branch. 

The sloth (oso perezoso) moves a lot faster than we thought it would. It was absolutely fascinating! This picture is on the other side of the tree from the first few. 

We stood along the roadside watching the sloth, which attracted attention from those passing by. Several stopped to take pictures too. 

It's heading further up the tree now. It's amazing the limbs are able to support its weight; however, sloths are quite small. 

I put this picture and the one following to show the size of the tree. This picture is identical to the one below only zoomed in. 

This is what it looked like without being zoomed. It eventually climbed all the way up into the higher cluster of leaves. 

When we went to The Summit (an animal rescue centre) we read that sloths are eaten by harpy eagles (world's largest eagle and Panama's national bird). Looking at this picture you can see how easy it would be for this giant eagle to pluck a sloth out of a tree. I believe the harpy eagle is found in the rain forested areas closer to Colombia. 

If you want to learn about the harpy eagle Google YouTube and search for 'jeff corwin and harpy eagle'. It even shows a harpy eagle taking a sloth out of a tree. Scott, I think you'd get a couple of laughs too, because Jeff is holding an eagle and it keeps knocking him on the head with his beak.