- i'm coyote peterson. now, i think wecan all agree that sloths are absolutely adorable, but did you knowthere's different kinds? if not, stick around, 'causeit's sloth feeding time. look at that, they're kissing. (dramatic tribal music) - [voiceover] costarica is home to an enormous variety of wildlife.
being positioned geographically between north and south america, it's neotropical climatecreates the perfect habitat for nearly half a millionspecies of animals. and while a large portionof these creatures are creepy, crawly,slithery, or slimy, there are also around 200species of mammals, however, getting up close with them inthe wild is nearly impossible. so today i will be visitingthe alturas wildlife sanctuary,
which is perfectly placedalong the pacific coast in the beachfronttown of dominical. this facility helpsdisplaced or injured animals rehabilitate so thatthey can eventually be released back into the wild. the sanctuary ishome to many species, and on this episode iwill be getting to spend my morning with two veryadorable baby sloths. - it's sloth feeding time!
now we make theseversus videos and people always think that theanimals are gonna fight, not the case, especiallywhen it comes to baby sloths. now, what you'relooking at here is a three-toed slothand a two-toed sloth. now, there aresome very distinct differences betweenthese two species, and right now we're going toshow you those differences. - [voiceover] notice howthe three-toed sloth has
a very coarse coat thatis darker in coloration, while the two-toed is muchsofter and lighter in color. face structure, however, is the most visuallyobvious difference. - you can see how distinct the face of the three-toed sloth is, and this is the quintessential sloth species herein costa rica, the most famous of the sloths,
has that really adorablelittle raccoon-looking mask, those black, beady eyes,and that button nose. when you look at thetwo-toed sloth you'll see that the coloration isa goldish-tan, the nose, the lips, and the eyes areall lighter in coloration, and the snout isslightly elongated. good morning,cookie, how are you? is this fun? you're on camera this morning,
you're the star of theshow, both of you are. you could have yourown show, couldn't you? i feel like you'dbe a good host. this is absolutely thecoolest thing i've ever done, feeding both a two-toed and a three-toed slothat the same time. here we go camera, let'ssee if you want some more. you want some more? oh, he likes my watch.
licking my watch, look at that. you get a shot of that? yum, yum, yum, yep,can't eat the watch, let's go back to havingmilk and not my watch, how 'bout that? i must have gotten goat milkon my watch because that, all of a sudden, becamethe topic of interest. and they can eat up to 20syringes of milk in a sitting. you've got a milk mustachethere, let's get that for you.
there you go, okay. was that good? - [voiceover] fingerstructure is another major differencebetween these species. the three-toed sloth hasthree fingers on its forefeet, they're fused together,and act like a grappling hook as theyhang from tree branches. the two-toed is actuallycapable of independently moving its two fingers andthe hairless paw pads
allow it to easily gripand manipulate food. (playful music) - and both species are arboral, which means that theyspend the majority of their time up in the trees. actually, the only timethat they ever come down to the ground is tomove from tree to tree, or every seven days, that'swhen they go to the bathroom. so you'll just sitaround for seven days
and eat leaves, andfruit, and flowers, and then you'll comedown to do your business, but when they'reup in the trees, they're mainly solitary animals, except for whenit's a female with a baby or duringbreeding season. so you can look upinto the tree tops and if that sloth is stayingcompletely still, it just looks like a termitenest or a mound of leaves,
and allows them tostay camouflaged tohide from predators. being primarily nocturnal, the two-toed sloth spendsits nights foraging for leaves and fruits underthe cover of darkness, while the three-toedsloth is a day creature, spending its time inthe daylight feastingon mainly leaves. as for cookie and caramel, at the tender age ofjust a few months, their diet consistsof primarily milk.
- aww, look at that. cookie is fast asleep afterher morning of goat's milk. i have done some amazingthings in my life, but nothing tops feedingthe adorable baby sloths. i'm coyote peterson. be brave. stay wild. we'll see you onthe next adventure. - [voiceover] forcookie and caramel,
the future looks bright, and in just a few monthsthey should be back in the tree topsliving the sloth life. however, there are manyother animals at alturas that also need the sameamount of love and care. for those that can notreturn to the rainforest, this incredible facilitybecomes a permanent home where they are caredfor each and every day by an incrediblestaff of animal experts.
do you dream offeeding a baby sloth? if so, i have good news. the alturas wildlife sanctuaryis constantly welcoming new volunteers to help withthe rescue, rehabilitation, and release of costarica's beautiful animals. for more information on how you can become a part of the team, visit their website,alturaswildlifesanctuary.org. if you thought thesesloths were cute,
make sure to checkout the morning i spent having breakfastwith a baby toucan, and don't forget,subscribe to join me and the crew on thisseason of breaking trail. (upbeat music)
