Sloths in Manuel Antonio
Two sloth species live in Manuel Antonio: the brown-throated three-fingered sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and Hoffmann’s two-fingered sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni). SINAC lists both among the national park’s outstanding animals. They are easy to walk past, high up, still and often tinted green, so a slow scan of the treetops or a guide with a scope makes all the difference.
Sloths in Manuel Antonio at a glance
| Brown-throated three-fingered sloth | Hoffmann’s two-fingered sloth | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Bradypus variegatus | Choloepus hoffmanni |
| Size | 40–69 cm, 2.3–6.5 kg | up to about 80 cm, usually 6–8 kg |
| Face | dark eye mask and a “smile” | pale face, longer snout |
| Front claws | 3 | 2 |
| Diet | mainly guarumo (Cecropia) leaves | leaves, buds, twigs and fruit |
| Active | by day and by night | mostly at night |
| Pregnancy | about 6 months | about 11.5 months |
| Baby stays with mother | about 5–6 months | about 12 months |
| IUCN status | Least Concern (2022) | Least Concern (2022) |
Sizes from The Sloth Conservation Foundation; pregnancy and care times from its guide to baby sloths; status from the IUCN Red List.
Two sloths, not one
Travel Guide › Wildlife › Sloths
The two sloths you can meet here look alike from a distance, but they are quite different animals. Two-fingered and three-fingered sloths belong to separate families, and they differ in size, diet, temperament and daily rhythm.
The names describe the front limbs. Hoffmann’s sloth has two claws on each front limb and the brown-throated sloth has three (Animal Diversity Web). You will also hear “two-toed” and “three-toed” sloths. It is the same pair of animals; SINAC’s English page uses “fingers”, and so do sloth researchers such as The Sloth Conservation Foundation.
In Spanish they are perezoso de tres dedos and perezoso de dos dedos. The name of the park’s main trail, Sendero Perezoso, means “Sloth Trail”.
How to tell them apart
Brown-throated three-fingered sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
- Size: about 2.3 to 6.5 kg and 40 to 69 cm long (The Sloth Conservation Foundation).
- Face: a small round head with a dark mask around the eyes and what looks like a permanent smile. The throat and head are brownish, which gives the species its name.
- Body: grey-brown and white fur, often with a greenish tint from algae. A short, stubby tail.
- Limbs: arms about twice as long as the legs, with three long claws on each.
- Neck: nine neck vertebrae instead of the usual mammal seven, so it can turn its head about 270 degrees.
Hoffmann’s two-fingered sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)
- Size: bigger, up to about 80 cm and as much as 11 kg, though 6 to 8 kg is typical (The Sloth Conservation Foundation).
- Face: hair lighter around the face and a longer, bare, somewhat pig-like snout.
- Body: long tan to light-brown hair, often darker over the head and back.
- Limbs: front and back limbs of similar length, with two claws on the front.
- Temperament: faster and more active than the three-fingered sloth. When threatened it can raise its hair to look bigger, and it can bite.
Quick rule: if you can see a dark eye mask and a little “smile”, it’s a three-fingered sloth. A bigger, shaggier animal with a lighter face and a prominent snout is a two-fingered sloth.
Where they live and what they eat
Habitat
Both sloths live in the trees and come down only rarely. They eat, sleep, mate and give birth while hanging from branches. Animal Diversity Web notes that adult brown-throated sloths are not seen sharing a tree with another adult, and that Hoffmann’s sloths tend to spend the day at mid-canopy height and move higher in the evening. Hoffmann’s sloths rarely leave the area where they were born and travel only short distances in a day.
In Manuel Antonio that means forest of all kinds: the national park, the forested hills along the road from Quepos, and the patches of rainforest around hotels and homes. Because sloths can’t easily cross open ground, the gaps between these patches, and the roads and power lines that cut through them, are a real problem for them.
Diet
Three-fingered sloths are strict plant-eaters. They feed mainly on trees of the genus Cecropia, eating leaves, flowers and fruit, and get most of their water from their food (Animal Diversity Web). The Sloth Conservation Foundation explains that their long arms let them reach the young, tender leaves at the tips of branches, which are easier to digest and often lower in plant toxins. In Manuel Antonio the only Cecropia species is the guarumo, Cecropia peltata (crtrees.org). Learn to recognize it in our plants and rainforest guide: huge, deeply lobed leaves with pale, silvery undersides, on a thin trunk ringed with scars.
Two-fingered sloths eat leaves too, plus buds, tender twigs, young shoots, fruit and flowers. An adult eats only about 0.35 kg of food a day. Leaves take around two and a half days to pass through its gut, the slowest rate known for any plant-eating mammal, and a slow metabolism lets it survive on very little (Animal Diversity Web).
A day (and a week) in the life of a sloth
Slow on purpose
Sloths save energy in almost everything they do. The Sloth Conservation Foundation notes that both groups have largely given up the costly job of holding a steady body temperature. Their core temperature can shift by up to 6°C in a day, so they bask in the sun to warm up, much as a lizard would.
The weekly trip down
The riskiest thing a sloth does is climb to the ground to go to the bathroom. Two-fingered sloths do it roughly every five days, and a sloth can lose up to a third of its body weight in one visit (The Sloth Conservation Foundation). Three-fingered sloths dig a small hole with their tail first and cover the pile afterwards. Sloth moths that live in the fur climb down and lay their eggs in the fresh dung. Why sloths take this risk is still debated; the Foundation thinks communication between sloths is the likeliest explanation.
A walking ecosystem
Each hair has grooves that hold moisture, and algae and fungi grow there, giving the fur its green tint and helping with camouflage. One sloth can carry up to 950 moths and beetles in its coat, some of them found nowhere else (The Sloth Conservation Foundation).
How long do they live?
Nobody knows for sure. Sloths’ teeth and claws keep growing, so a wild sloth’s age can’t be read from its body, and no one has followed a wild sloth from birth to death. Captive sloths have reached 40 to 50 years.
Baby sloths and family life
Sloths are solitary, and a mother raises her single baby on her own. A baby is born high in the trees with its eyes open, its claws sharp and its teeth already in place, and it climbs straight onto its mother’s chest, where it rides, sleeps and nurses for months (The Sloth Conservation Foundation).
The two species keep different clocks. A two-fingered mother carries her baby for about 11.5 months and then raises it for around a year. A three-fingered mother is thought to carry hers for about six months and cares for it for roughly five to six more. Researchers have never followed a three-fingered sloth from conception to birth, so that figure is still an estimate.
When the time comes, the young sloth stays in the part of the forest where it grew up, and the mother leaves it a home range it already knows. Spotting a mother with a baby tucked against her chest is one of the gentlest sights in Manuel Antonio: keep your distance, keep your voice low and simply enjoy it.
Sloth myths, and the truth
- “Sloths sleep 20 hours a day.” That number came from animals in captivity. When researchers fitted wild brown-throated three-fingered sloths in Panama with tiny sleep recorders, they slept about 9.6 hours a day (Max Planck Institute, 2008).
- “Sloths are lazy.” They are efficient. A leaf diet gives them very little energy, so every slow, deliberate move is a way of making that energy last.
- “Sloths can’t swim.” Quite the opposite: sloths are surprisingly good swimmers and move more easily in water than on the ground.
- “The green is dirt.” It is algae growing in grooves along each hair, a living camouflage that helps them disappear into the canopy.
- “That smile means it’s happy.” The three-fingered sloth’s “smile” is simply the shape of its face. It looks content even when it would rather be left alone, which is one more reason to admire it from a distance.
Their role in the forest, and how they are doing
Ecological role
Sloths are more than slow leaf-eaters. Their fur is home to algae, fungi, moths and beetles. Hoffmann’s sloths fertilize the trees they live in when they leave their dung at the base, and they are prey for large birds of prey and wild cats across their range (Animal Diversity Web).
Conservation status
- Brown-throated three-fingered sloth: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2022).
- Hoffmann’s two-fingered sloth: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2022).
“Least Concern” describes the species across its whole range. It doesn’t mean local sloths are safe. The national park’s 2013–2018 management plan includes both sloths in its list of the park’s mammals of conservation concern, drawing on national regulations and international listings. Kids Saving the Rainforest, the wildlife rescue center in Manuel Antonio, names sloths among the animals it takes in most often, and cites habitat destruction, road accidents and electrocution among the reasons animals arrive. Rope crossings over roads and replanted forest corridors help sloths move without touching the ground or the wires.
Status checked in the IUCN Red List in September 2026.
How to watch sloths well
- Look, don’t touch. Never hold, hug or pose with a sloth, even one that seems calm. SINAC asks visitors not to touch wild animals, and Costa Rica’s government campaign #StopAnimalSelfies (supported by World Animal Protection) asks travelers to skip photos that involve handling wildlife. Places that let you hold a sloth for a picture are not ones to support.
- Give a sloth on the ground extra space. It is at its most vulnerable there. Keep people and dogs back and let it finish and climb.
- Don’t “help” a sloth across the road or pick up a baby. If a sloth looks injured or a baby is alone on the ground, keep watch from a distance and tell your guide, a park ranger or your hotel so a licensed rescue center can be called. See our wildlife guide for more on this.
- No flash, no shaking branches, no noise to make it look up. A sleeping sloth is still a good sighting.
- Use a scope or binoculars. Most sloths are high up. A guide’s spotting scope turns a brown lump into a face.
If you find a sloth on the ground or on the road
Sloths come down to the ground to cross between trees and once a week to go to the bathroom, and this is when they need people to give them room. If you see one on the ground or crossing the road:
- Slow down or stop at a safe distance and let it cross in its own time.
- Keep people, cars and dogs back, and resist the urge to pick it up or carry it across.
- If it looks hurt, or a baby is alone on the ground, watch from a distance and tell your guide, a park ranger or your hotel. In Manuel Antonio, the rescue center Kids Saving the Rainforest cares for injured sloths and other wildlife.
Rope bridges over the roads and replanted forest corridors are helping sloths travel through the canopy again, and every tree that stays standing makes their journey safer.
Where visitors may encounter sloths
There is no spot where a sloth is always waiting. Sloths move slowly, but they do move, and a tree that held one last week may be empty today. These are simply the places where people often find them.
- Manuel Antonio National Park. SINAC lists both sloths among the park’s outstanding species. Scan the trees along the wide main trail and the beach trails, and watch where other visitors with guides have stopped (then keep your distance). Our national park guide covers tickets, opening days and rules.
- Guarumo trees. The open, thin crowns of Cecropia trees make them one of the easier places to spot animals, and three-fingered sloths feed on them.
- Forest around hotels and along the Manuel Antonio road. Sloths are part of daily life at ECOTICA, on our ten acres of rainforest a few minutes from the park, though never on a schedule. Our post on seeing wildlife where you stay has tips on spotting them.
- With a guide. A naturalist guide is the most reliable way to find a sloth you would otherwise miss. ECOTICA’s concierge can arrange a guided walk through our wildlife and nature tours.
Looking for the rest of Manuel Antonio’s animals? Read our monkey guide and our bird guide.
How to spot (and photograph) a sloth
- Look for a shape, not an animal. A sloth usually looks like a round, grey-brown clump in the fork of a branch, a bit like a termite nest or a bundle of dry leaves.
- Check the guarumo trees. Their open crowns and big silvery leaves make three-fingered sloths easier to see; our plants and rainforest guide shows you how to recognize them.
- Go early, and after the rain. Mornings in the park are cool and lively, and sloths often climb into the sun to warm up after a shower.
- Follow the scopes. When a group of guides has stopped and set up their telescopes, there is a good chance a sloth is above them. Join quietly and keep the trail clear.
- For photos, a zoom lens of 300 mm or more (or a phone held to a guide’s scope) works far better than walking closer. Turn off the flash and be patient: the best shot is often the moment it slowly turns its head.
- See them at night. Two-fingered sloths are most active after dark, so a guided night walk adds a whole new side of the forest.
Wake up with sloths in the trees
ECOTICA sits on ten acres of its own rainforest in the heart of Manuel Antonio, a few minutes from the national park, and sloths are part of everyday life here. Guests often spot them from a bungalow porch, from the pool or over breakfast at La POZA, where the trees come right up to the tables.
Our concierge can arrange a guided walk in Manuel Antonio National Park or a night walk with a naturalist who knows exactly where to look. Book a guided wildlife walk or check dates and rates for a stay in the rainforest.
Sloths in Manuel Antonio: questions and answers
Are there sloths in Manuel Antonio?
Yes. Two species live here: the brown-throated three-fingered sloth and Hoffmann’s two-fingered sloth. SINAC lists both among the outstanding animals of Manuel Antonio National Park.
Where is the best place to see sloths in Manuel Antonio?
Manuel Antonio National Park, ideally with a naturalist guide and a spotting scope. Sloths also live in the forest along the Manuel Antonio road and around rainforest hotels such as ECOTICA. See our national park guide.
What time of day is best for seeing sloths?
Mornings are best in the park, which opens at 7:00 am. Three-fingered sloths are active by day and night, while two-fingered sloths are most active after dark, so a guided night walk is a great way to meet them.
Do I need a guide to see a sloth?
A guide is optional, but a naturalist with a scope finds sloths most visitors would walk past and shows you every detail. Book a guided walk through our concierge.
Can I touch or hold a sloth?
Sloths are best admired from a respectful distance. Costa Rica asks visitors not to touch or hold wild animals, and the national #StopAnimalSelfies campaign asks travelers to skip photos that involve handling wildlife.
Do sloths really sleep 20 hours a day?
In the wild, much less. Wild brown-throated three-fingered sloths in Panama slept about 9.6 hours a day when researchers measured it with tiny recorders.
Can sloths swim?
Yes. Sloths are surprisingly good swimmers and move more easily in the water than on the ground.
How long do sloths live?
Nobody knows exactly for wild sloths, because their teeth and claws keep growing and no one has followed one for its whole life. In captivity, sloths have lived 40 to 50 years.
Are sloths endangered?
Both species are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2022). Locally they still need forest connections, safe road crossings and protection from power lines.
What should I do if I find a sloth on the road?
Slow down, give it space and let it cross on its own. If it looks hurt or a baby is alone, watch from a distance and tell a guide, a park ranger or your hotel so a rescue center can help.
More wildlife in Manuel Antonio
Meet the rest of the neighbors: the four monkeys of Manuel Antonio, the toucans, macaws and other birds, and our complete wildlife guide. Planning your days? Our 1, 3 and 5-day itineraries show how to fit in the park, the beach and a little time to slow down, sloth-style.
See a sloth on the ground or crossing a road? Learn how to help safely and who to call. If a person needs help, our health and safety guide has the emergency numbers.
Arrive with everything ready
Sloths take their time; your planning need not. Share your dates and we will line everything up before you arrive:
- Arrange your tours: a naturalist guide in the national park has the trained eye to find sloths high in the canopy, while boat trips, zip lines and rafting fill the other days
- Book the Jungle Spa: take a lesson from the sloth with massages, couples treatments, facials and body rituals
- Reserve a transfer: a private transfer from San José, US$195 each way for up to 5 people, so the journey is the easy part
- Lean on our concierge: dinners, celebrations and special requests, handled while you watch the trees
- Plan your stay: dates and rates for our bungalows and suites, where a slow morning is part of the plan
Sources for our sloth guide
- SINAC – Manuel Antonio National Park (official English page on the protected forest where you can look for sloths)
- SINAC – Plan General de Manejo, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio 2013–2018 (PDF; mammal records and forest habitats in the park)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – Brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus): biology and diet
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni): how the two-toed species differs
- The Sloth Conservation Foundation – conservation notes on three-fingered sloths
Photos: Veronika Andrews, Koen Swiers, Miguel Cuenca, Crisbel Solano, Gustavo Salazar and Tomáš Malík / Pexels.
