Bigger and even slower than their three-toed cousins, the unau is a two-toed sloth that spends most of its life hanging from its long arms upside down in trees across Central and South America. Sloths cannot walk upright and move at an excruciatingly slow pace across land by dragging themselves with their hands; they can, however, swim surprisingly well. Sloths sleep 15 to 20 hours a day and are so slow that green algae grow on their fur, which acts as a camouflage for this nocturnal animal. Sloths eat mainly leaves – and sometimes their own algae. Yuk!
Crib Notes:
- The name unau comes from the word uná, which means lazy in the extinct Brazilian Tupi language.
- Sloths can take up to a month to digest food because they have such slow metabolisms.
- Living most of their lives upside down, sloths even give birth upside down!
Best Time Of Year: Costa Rica is not in the hurricane zone, and any time of year is fine for travelling, however…
Destination: Monteverde Rustic Lodge in Costa Rica is the perfect rainforest retreat from which to explore the beautiful Children’s Eternal Rainforest, where a hike will give you sightings of not only Hoffman’s two-toed sloths, but also vampire bats, lizards and monkeys – and if you’re lucky, maybe even a jaguar.
Price Guide: USD$105 per night for a 4-person family room including breakfast.
