Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth

The Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth are also known as the monk sloth or the dwarf sloth is a critically endangered species of the sloth. This curious animal has a very restricted range as it can only be found on a tiny island, Isla Escudo de Veraguas, located off mainland Panama. The entire population of this species is estimated at some 80 individuals.

As you can see Isla Escudo de Veraguas is a small isolated Caribbean island of the coast of the Republic of Panama. Despite its name, it is not part of the province of Veraguas, but rather Bocas del Toro. Although located 17 km from the coastline in the Golfo de los Mosquitos and isolated for only about 9000 years. There are several animals found on this island that are distinct from their mainland counterparts, and two mammal species or subspecies are recognized as occurring only on the island. One being a fruit bat and the other is the Three Toed Pygmy sloth.

The Pygmy Three- Toed Sloth primarily feeds on the leaves of the red mangrove trees in which it lives. These mangroves are thought to cover an area of just 1.3-1.5 square km on the island. Adults only come together to mate, finding each other using loud calls. Although the gestation period for the pygmy sloth is unknown, other species of the sloth are pregnant for between 4 and 7 months before giving birth. The mother bears one infant at a time, and will care for it between 6 months to a year. Famous for its slow movements, the pygmy sloth is ideally suited to live life in the mangroves and are surprisingly good at swimming. 

The major threat to the pygmy three-toed sloth is habitat destruction, which is reducing the size of its already small habitat. Through the phenomenon of island dwarfism, they have become the smallest member of its genus. Sloths usually only descend to the ground to defecate and urinate. Since they are so slow their best defense are camouflage and stealth, whereby they avoid predation largely by avoiding detection. With the three-toed sloths being a recently described species, little is known about their ecosystem roles. They are hosts to various parasites, may influence vegetation through their browsing, and act as prey for larger, arboreal predators. Unfortunately there are no known benefits to humans from the pygmy sloth at this time. The current conservation status has listed them as critically endangered by the IUCN due to extremely restricted range, habitat degradation in the area, increasing tourism, and illegal hunting.  

5 Ways to help protect the Three-Toed Pygmy Sloth

1. Stop cutting down the red mangrove trees.

2. Contain development on the island to keep their natural habitat safe.

3. Stop poachers from killing the sloths.

4. Help plant more mangrove trees on the island to create more of a food source for them.

5. Don't try to capture them and make them into pets.

Over the last decade 80% of the population has been lost and now their population is down to less then a hundred. In the graph below, I show what the future looks like for the pygmy sloth if things keep going as they are. By 2022, there will be no more of these delight able creature living that we know of.