Reflections from Recent Amazon Action
Heading out on a nocturnal mammal transect on the GVI Amazon expedition, we all felt it might be a good night, expecting maybe a kinkajou or a few opossums, but none of us quite realised how good. Walking up the road which runs through the reserve to reach our distant survey site we were all busy chatting away, when what should appear but a sloth!! Right there on the road. Having got so close that I almost stood on it I did a double take and immediately reached for the camera. Max, Lucy, Phil and myself all stood in amazement watching this elusive creature for half an hour before moving it from the road (for its own safety) and watching it disappear into the trees. Modern day sloths are divided into two families dependant on how many toes they have on their feet, two or three. The Southern two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus), also known as Linneaus’s two-toed Sloth, is
a solitary arboreal species and larger than the three-toed sloths. These slow moving creatures are well camouflaged in their canopy home by a layer of algae which grows on their fur giving them a green colour to their fur, this makes them difficult to spot and a rare and special find for the team.
Caroline Acton - GVI Amazon Field Staff
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