The Sloths Living Among Perfect Pineapples

Fun Facts About the Majestic Costa Rican Sloths

When thinking of Costa Rica, what comes to mind? Perhaps the plentiful Perfect Pineapples growing in the sunshine, or maybe you think of the famous creatures known for their next-level laziness living among those pineapples. Costa Rica is famously known for their two types of sloths: Hoffman’s Two-Toed Sloth and the Brown-throated Three-Toed Sloth. These laid-back guys spend their days in the slow lane among the lush rainforests they call home while napping and snacking to their heart’s content. Sounds like the life, right?

Sloths Prioritize Their Sleep…A Lot

Sloth Sleeping Laying Down — Everyone knows that sloths sleep a lot, but how much? And why? Sloths are known to sleep anywhere from 15-20 hours a day, which, with a lifespan of around 20 years in the wild, translates to around 63% to 83% of their lives spent asleep.

Along with their less than strenuous daily routine, sloths are known for moving at a snail’s pace in pretty much everything they do. You may be surprised to learn that the reason for this is the same as the reason they sleep their lives away. While many may be quick to attribute the sloth’s love of sleep and slow lifestyle to laziness, this is not the whole story.

When digging deeper into the habits of the sloth, we discover that they have the slowest digestive tract among all mammals. It can take them anywhere from two weeks to a month to fully digest a single leaf. Consequently, sloths preserve energy at any chance they get, resulting in their luxurious slow lifestyle.

Sloths Reproduce Among the Treetops

Sloths "Hugging" — A sloth’s life quite literally begins among the trees. Sloths mate and give birth to their offspring while in their natural habitat among the rainforest’s canopy of trees. Female sloths get pregnant once a year and remain pregnant for around six months before giving birth. While sloths do stay with their mothers for the beginning of their lives, they may not receive the same amount of motherly affection other species do. In fact, if a baby sloth falls from a tree, the mother may be inclined to ignore their cries in order to remain in the comfort of their tree. Once a sloth reaches five months of age, they are left to fend for themselves in Costa Rican paradise.

Just Hanging Out

Sloth Hanging Upside Down — The more you learn about sloths, the quirkier they get. If you happen to spot a sloth among the Costa Rican landscape, there’s a good chance you will see them hanging upside down. Sloths can spend up to 90% of their lives head down, feet up. Surprisingly, this does not affect their breathing as research has shown that since their internal organs are anchored down, they do not press down on their lungs or diaphragm, allowing them to breathe freely.

Champion Swimmers

Sloth with Hand Reaching Out — Believe it or not, despite their slow nature on land, sloths excel in the water. While they do not often put their skills to use, sloths are known to be three times faster in the water than they are on land. Combine this with the fact that due to their slow metabolism, they are able to hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes and you have a creature very well suited to life on the water.

Sloths at Chestnut Hill Farms

Our farms are lucky enough to be located deep in the Costa Rican rainforest near Tortuguero National Park. An abundance of rainfall and the right level of humidity means our pineapples are extra sweet. Even better it means there are always sloths only a few minutes’ hike from the farm into the hills! Next time you’re on the north side of the continental divide, stop by and say hi to us and our furry friends.