Sloths

Learn all about sloths with author Georgeanne Irvine from the San Diego Zoo, and biologist Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Find out how we can all help protect sloths. This episode comes with a digital Learn Along guide that meets and cites US national education standards.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
What is a sloth's favorite ice cream? I don'tknow what. A slow cone.
Children's Hour. Kids are the radio.

(00:45):
It's a great day, cause I'm feeling fine Soclap your hands like this Ah, feeling fresh
to death, nice day outside I'm taking extrasteps, why if you pick my outfit? Now I'ma
rep this step, cause I'm drawn to her side likea net just got So um, what's next? Is anyone's
guess? Top down, we too blessed to be stressedEight hours of sleep, feeling refreshed I'm
ready to play like let out for recess Now wejust maxin', feel speed All thanks to rapping,

(01:08):
the skills displayed And best of all We hardand sing it, we save the game like a memory
card Dawg, feed up, I'ma hit G up And show emthis beat, D and 3 done G'd up And sing your
beat up for a little collab Foot on the gas,see you at the pad I got a feeling it's gon'
be a good day Oh yes, a good day to have a goodtime Just clap your hands like this I got a

(01:34):
feeling it's gon' be a good day It's a great

(02:08):
It's like this. That's me, cause love is freeAnd that's a real good day for Mr. G So what's
up, I gotta save the world Now go and spenda little love around the hood Let's go! I got
a feeling it's gonna be a good day Oh yes, agood day to have a good time Just clap your

(02:28):
hands like this I got a feeling it's gonna bea great day Oh yes, a great day cause I'm feeling
fine So clap your hands like this money in thedresser man I tell you it don't get no better
Just gotta be there, don't stop when it's dark

(02:54):
Good feelings, good vibes, good people, goodtimes.
That was Mega Ran from his brand new kid CDcalled Buddy's Magic Toy Box. And that song
had G-Love and special sauce on it with GoodDay. It is a good day on the Children's Hour.

(03:19):
I'm Katie Stone, delighted to be here with somany great kids at the Outpost Performance
Space and on Zoom. Who do we have with us today?Hi, it is Corpid. Hello, it's Cade. Hi, it's
Kodiak. Hi, it's Kybeer. Hi, it's LucasD. Hi,it's Joe. Hi, it's Nina. Hi, it's Amaya. Hi,

(03:42):
it's Thorfinn. Hi, it's Nathaniel. Hi, it'sJude. Hello, it's Amadeus. Well, thanks so
much for being here, everyone. Today's showis one we shouldn't rush into given the topic.
We're going to be discussing sloths, those ad-adorable furry smiley creatures that you think

(04:04):
of maybe in cartoons or in the trees danglingaround. We're speaking with Georgeann Irvine
from the San Diego Zoo. She's an author andhas a new book about Tornero, one of the sloths
that lives there. We're going to hear a reviewof her book and we're also going to talk with

(04:25):
Sam Troll. She's from the Sloth Institute. whichis all the way down in Costa Rica. And we're
going to speak with her about all the thingsthat make sloths, sloths. There's a lot to
learn about sloths. And this episode comes withthe Learn Along Guide. They're digital now.

(04:46):
They meet and cite national education standards.Find it at childrenshour.org. Look for sloths.
This is Claudia Robin Gunn, right here on theChildren's Hour.

(05:11):
Lazing around, up here in the trees, so faroff the ground I eat green leaves, and I chew
them slow I don't get dizzy upside down, youknow I'm thinking my way through a million

(05:33):
things My brain works so fast I get giddy SoI may look like I'm doing nothing at all But
really I'm actually quite busy I have threetoes Some sloths have two On humans you'd call

(05:57):
them fingers I have a very long tongue Longclaws Green fur It gets covered in algae I
don't mind if it's tasty And I'm thinking myway through a trillion things My brain works
so fast I get giddy So I may look like I'm doingnothing at all But really I'm actually quite

(06:27):
busy
The olden days we were much bigger We were calledMegatherium Giant sloth, as large as an elephant

(06:48):
Can you even imagine? Now I'm thinking my waythrough gazillions of things My brain works
so fast I get giddy and I may look like I'mdoing nothing at all But really I'm actually

(07:10):
quite busy
Just lazing around Up here in the trees So faroff the ground

(07:35):
I'm in slow thinking my way through a trillionthings I'm in slow thinking my way through
a million things I'm in slow don't tell me Idon't look busy

(08:13):
Today on The Children's Hour, we're going tolearn about sloths. And sloths are a creature
that make us think a lot about how they move.They're slow. They mostly hang out all day.
The word sloth even comes from Middle Englishas a way of calling somebody lazy. But sloths
were not always these slow tree creatures thatwe know today. In Paleolithic times, from about

(08:40):
three million to just 11,000 years ago, slothsused to live right here in New Mexico when
they were the size of hippopotamuses. And sincethen, they've evolved into the little furry
creatures we know and love today. Our firstguest on the show is Georgianne Irvine. She's

(09:02):
director of publishing at the San Diego Zooand author of its Hope and Inspiration Those
are true stories about real animals living atthe zoo. The newest is about Tornaro the sloth.
Let's start from the very, very beginning. Whatmakes a sloth a sloth? A sloth is a mammal,

(09:25):
and it is related distantly to anteaters andarmadillos, but it spends most of its time
up in the trees. And you've got the... two-toedsloth and some scientists call them two-fingered
sloth and the three-toed sloth and they weighabout 20 pounds so they do not weigh as much

(09:47):
as an elephant and they live in the rainforestsof Central and South America. The particular
sloth that I've written about, Tornera, livesin the Amazon in Brazil and like I said they
do almost everything upside down. They alsocan swim, which is my favorite sloth fact,

(10:12):
but they've got long curved claws. So the two-toedsloth has two claws on its top paws, but it's
got three on the bottom. The three-toed slothhas three top claws and three bottom claws.

(10:33):
and they're different. The three-toed slothactually has a small tail and the two-toed
sloth does not. So they look similar, but theyreally are pretty, they even have different
behaviors. The three-toed sloth, you might notice,if you look at a picture, has a mask under
its eyes and the two-toed sloth does not havethat. They have a very slow metabolism. And

(11:02):
like I said, they eat leaves. And so it takesa long time for all of their food to digest.
So they evolve that way. And because they liveup in the trees, they don't need to move really
quickly. I think in my readings, scientistsaren't absolutely sure why they move so slow,
but there are lots of theories. And one is thatthey live up in the treetops and it's pretty

(11:28):
hard to move quickly up in the treetops. andthey don't need to and they move slowly to
get their food. How does the sloth survive forall this time when it has very little way to
depend itself on predators? Keep in mind thesloth has very sharp claws. So if something
is trying to pull it, it can hang on reallytight and they're very strong. They're really

(11:50):
high in the trees. So a jaguar can climb a tree,but if a sloth is higher in the thinner part
of the branches, it probably cannot get up.that high. However, if it were at the very
top of the tree and it had a baby on its backor belly and a harpy eagle could swoop in and
grab the baby with its talons. The problem withmost sloth species and many animal species

(12:16):
is truly loss of habitat. That is the biggestchallenge and roads, homes being built in the
forest, being isolated in a tract of forestand the next forest is 20 miles away, genetic
diversity is a challenge as well. So in a healthyforest, that's not gonna be a problem that

(12:38):
they're, some of them are eaten by predators,but it's a bigger problem that their habitat
is being destroyed. And they also sometimesget electrocuted. So when you're living in
a neighborhood, even if there are trees andyou're adapting, it is possible that they climb
up and they can get electrocuted too. So it'sreally. human encroachment on their habitat

(13:00):
that is their biggest issue on survival. That'sGeorgeann Irvine. She's director of publishing
at the San Diego zoo and her latest book isteaching Tornero. We've got a review coming
up in just a little bit. Thank you so much forbeing with us on the children's hour. We've
learned a lot. Thank you. It was a pleasure.Lazy Slav.

(13:46):
Lazy sloth, swaying in the trees. Lazy sloth,no worries.
Lazy sloth munching on green leaves. Lazy sloth,no worries.

(14:35):
Crazy Slav Covered in algae Lazy sloth, no worriesLazy sloth, cuddling with daddy Lazy sloth,

(15:01):
no worries
Peace.

(15:29):
Swannin' the trees, lazy slug, no worries
lazy slum
Mommy, lazy slug, no worries

(16:13):
Easy slow Lazy slum, lazy slum

(16:46):
Easy slow
Slow, silly sloth Moving slowly Claws open upClaws slowly shut Why are you so slow? So slow

(17:39):
Slow, slow,
Slow, silly sloth Lying on the ground Slowlystretching Stretch so slowly

(18:11):
So slow I don't
Slow Silly Sloth is Dancin' Beats from Kid BeatsDancin' in the Rainforest, and Lazy Sloth was

(18:35):
Mr. Nature's Music Garden from Let's Go on anAdventure. In the background we're hearing
Brent Lewis. You're listening to the Children'sHour today, we're learning about sloths. George
Ann Irvine's book, Teaching Torn Arrow, getsreviewed by Joe on our kids group coming right

(18:55):
up after the break. And we are headed down toCosta Rica to talk with some scientists working
directly with sloths up in the tree canopy.Today's episode comes with a learn-a-long guide.
It's digital now, and you can find it at childrenshour.org.Look for sloths. And oh, by the way, So many

(19:18):
cute pictures of slots are posted there too.Stick with us, we've got a lot more. You're
listening to the Children's Hour, Kids PublicRadio. We'll be right back. The Children's
Hour is produced by the Children's Hour Incorporated,a New Mexico-based educational nonprofit that
is supported by listeners just like you. Youcan learn how you can help make Kids Public

(19:42):
Radio at childrenshour.org. The New Mexico Museumof Natural History and Science supports the
Children's Hour and is proud to unveil a newhall featuring hundreds of never-before-seen
fossils. Learn more at nmna
Hello, my name is Jerfistopher and I will bereviewing Teaching Tornado by Georgian Irvine

(20:06):
published by Blue Sneaker Press. Teaching Tornadois a non-fiction book about an adorable sloth
named Tornado who works as an ambassador atthe San Diego Zoo. The book explores his life
as a young sloth as well as the many adventureshe's had up to this point. It also describes
how his trainers taught him to become a goodambassador and how to love being around people.

(20:28):
I loved all the photos which were very cuteand fun. They really help make the story intriguing.
I give this book four out of five chilies. Thebook is recommended for kids ages six to 10.
The book is called Teaching to an Arrow by GeorgianIrvine published by Blue Sneaker Press. This
is Joe Christopher from The Children's Song.Many thanks to Joe for that book review. Up

(20:51):
next, this is Don't Splash Marty with the SlothSong.

(21:38):
Lost your cool deep, running fuzzy way backin Q.
Just chillin' off some odds so the villain stayssafe, little friend, now Whoa, whoa, whoa Oh,
sorry little buddy. Do you need some time tocatch up? Eee!

(22:33):
Man, I need more sloth in my heart Whoa, whoa,whoa Hey, yo, dude. Do you like sloth?

(23:11):
You

(23:41):
I love sports! Stars are cool, they burn, doesn'train, but they do!
You slowly crawl down your tree And my bestride is to my

(24:14):
you're listening to the Children's Hour, we'retalking about sloths today. And as Georgeann
Irvine from the San Diego Zoo told us, there'sa lot of problems facing sloths today. They're
vulnerable to deforestation, injuries, and evenillness. And we wanted to talk with somebody

(24:34):
who actually helps sloths recover when they'resuffering. That's called rehabilitation. Sam
Trahl is the co-founder and director of theSloth Institute that's in Manuel Antonio Costa
Rica. Welcome to the Children's Hour, Sam. Tellus what the Sloth Institute does. One of the

(24:56):
main things that the Sloth Institute does, orat least I would say the most time-consuming
and expensive, is the actual rescue, rehab,and release of sloths. And when we first started
the Sloth Institute 10 years ago, our very firstresearch project and the big goal was to figure
out how to release hand-raised orphan slothsbecause at the time it wasn't actually being
done in Costa Rica. It was thought to not bepossible because the theory was that hand-raised

(25:23):
orphan sloths didn't know how to survive inthe wild. But after I raised My first set of
hand raised sloths, I knew there was no wayI was leaving them in a cage for the rest of
their lives, but I wanted to make sure and doit in a very careful scientific way so it could
be replicated by ourselves and by other rescuecenters. And also, so we would be there for
every step of the way in case the sloth neededany help. So that's what we started our tracking

(25:46):
program. And we track sloths using little collarswith batteries that go around their neck. They're
very non-invasive. We make sure they're verysmall, less than 2% of their body weight. And
that's how we were able to create the firstand the best successful protocol for how to
release hand raised sloths. And then at thesame time, we're simultaneously studying the
behavioral ecology of wild sloths to make surethat they are in fact doing well in the wild.

(26:12):
And then to tackle long term issues with sloths,habitat destruction is the biggest threat that
they face. So we work with landowners to helpthem better trim their trees or try to convince
them not to trim the tree if it's a really importanttree. is a tree that they have to trim. We
work with them to make it not so horrible forthe animals. And then we also put up rope bridges

(26:36):
throughout the forest to try to prevent slothsand other animals from even getting to the
roads to begin with. We call those sloth speedways.And then we have multiple different research
projects that we do to study the behavioralecology, the wild health of sloths, so all
different things like that. How many speciesof sloth do we know about? Currently there
are seven species of sloths recognized by science.So two two-fingered species and then five three-fingered

(27:03):
species. They actually just recently discoveredanother species in Brazil like a few months
ago. So this is like a newer thing. It usedto be six, now it's seven. So the two different
types of sloths are separate genuses. The twodifferent types of sloths have been evolving
separately for at least 40 million years makingthem the most extreme example of convergent

(27:23):
evolution in mammals. their closest ancestorthat they ever had that was similar is at least
40 million years ago, whereas our closest ancestorwith chimps, for example, is four to six million
years ago. So we're way more closely relatedto chimps than the two different kinds of sloths
are to each other. And I think that that's reallycool. Since sloths mostly hide in the trees,
how do we know how big the global populationis? It depends. So for example, the most critically

(27:49):
endangered sloths, like the pygmy sloth, whichis only found on one little island off the
coast of Panama. They think that there's onlya few hundred of those guys, but they're only
found on the island. And so it's easier to assessthem because you only have to look on that
one island. As far as like in the country ofCosta Rica, there's not really a good ballpark
figure. We have a ballpark figure for ManloAntonio of probably around 3,500 sloths, so

(28:13):
like 3,000-ish of both kinds, like together.but then also the density of the sloths vary.
So there's a lot of them really like to be nearthe beach. So male Antonio has a higher density.
As soon as you start going inland and higherup in the mountains, that density goes way
down. That's one reason it's really importantto protect biodiversity hotspots. And then
of course, I'm specifically talking about slothhotspots. And with emerging diseases, for example,

(28:38):
if you look at koalas in Australia, 10 yearsago, nobody was worried koalas were gonna go
extinct, but now they are. And it's a combinationof wildfires a seriously infectious disease.
So even if a species isn't considered technicallyendangered, that doesn't mean they're not still
in danger and sloths definitely fall under thatcategory because they're not only susceptible

(29:01):
to all the same things all other terrestrialanimals are with climate change, but they're
also susceptible to diseases, to habitat destruction.So it's important to save sloths now. That's
Sam Trahl from the Sloth Institute in ManuelAntonio Costa Rica. We've got more questions
for her in just a moment. You're listening toThe Children's Hour.

(29:31):
A sloth in a tree Playing up in the leaves Idon't move all that fast Like to make the day
last I've got friends all around On the trees,on the ground Waving up air to me I smile for

(30:00):
them to see
so fast around me
Monkeys swing from tree to tree, they've gotso much energy I wonder where they are too,

(30:21):
I wish I could catch up to you Monkeys swingfrom tree to tree, they've got so much energy
Won't the world just turn down for me?

(30:47):
I've been upside down here I'll spend all dayup here If I climb from this tree It'll take
all day for me I like to be alone
Hanging round eating leaves Life is so goodit seems It's the life made of dreams And the

(31:20):
world moves so fast around me
Woo! Monkeys swing by everywhere, Swingin' in,swingin' there everywhere, I wonder where they
are off to, I wish I could catch up to you,Chew on my leaf as I watch them swing, They've

(31:41):
got so much energy.
Moment the world just slowed down for me

(32:10):
That's Mr. T and friends right here on the Children'sHour with the sloth song that is just called
Sloth. It's actually an anthem of sorts forthe Sloth Institute. There are guests today
on the show. We're with Sam Troll, who's joiningus from Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Sam, your

(32:31):
organization does rehabilitation with sloths.Why do sloths end up needing rehabilitation?
That- can vary around the country as well. Oneof the most common reasons we see injured sloths
in Melontanio is electrocution, especially withadult two-fingered sloths. Yeah, I had read
about that, that there's just bad transmissionlines in Costa Rica that aren't insulated.

(32:55):
And so the sloths just touch a transmissionline in electrical wire and they get electrocuted.
What else do you get? Orphans. is another hugeone. And with orphans, the reason why they're
orphaned is very varied and sometimes we don'tknow. But electrocution is for sure, I would
say the number one issue along with habitatdestruction. Those two obviously go hand in

(33:17):
hand. But the thing with habitat destructionis that there can be all these secondary losses.
So with electrocution is very obvious. Thisanimal was burned. But with habitat loss, it
can be something as simple as one tree was takenout of. the home range of a recently weaned
sloth. That weaned sloth is very small whenmom weans them, which means she stops giving

(33:41):
milk and leaves the baby on its own. Mothersloths will leave their babies in the natal
home range, so it's at all the places whereshe showed them where they could find food.
So when one tree is taken out of that habitat,they all of a sudden don't have enough food
to grow up and to survive. So they can slowlyget sick from being skinny. and having a weakened

(34:01):
immune system and things like that. So thatis caused by human encroachment in their environment,
but it's not obvious. It'll just come in aslike a skinny sick sloth. And so every time
we rescue a sloth, we can never say that itdefinitely isn't connected to human encroachment
in some way. It most likely is. Also dog attacksis a big problem. How do you figure out what

(34:24):
care a sick sloth needs? So the first thingwe do is we do a health check exam that includes
taking measurements, like the weight of thesloth, the quality of their skin. We check
their eyes, their ears, their nose, basicallylike a full, full examination of how healthy
the sloth is. And then based on what they'vebeen through, then we start a treatment plan.

(34:47):
So for orphans, they go into our sloth schoolsystem. They start being raised based on what
age they come in at. So newborns start at elementaryschool. And then if it's an older sloth, like
let's say one that was already weaned by itsmom, but you know, it lost a tree in its natal
home range and so it's not doing so well. Butit's already weaned so those guys can go straight

(35:10):
into high school, for example, and it doesn'ttake quite as long to get them fully graduated
and back into the wild and free. With injuredsloths, depending on how critical they are,
like you know, if they're on IV fluids versusbeing able to be hand-fed, sometimes our vet
needs to do surgery. A lot of times, unfortunately,electrocutions will immediately kill and completely

(35:33):
fry one of their limbs, which the only thingyou can do in that situation is remove the
affected limb because ultimately the sloth woulddie. But luckily, sloths are as sensitive as
they can be. They also can be very, very strongand can survive incredible trauma. So we...

(35:55):
have a pretty good success rate even with allof these horrible injuries that we see. So
you've got this great process for helping theanimals, but I would imagine it takes different
amounts of time to rehabilitate a sloth. Howlong can that take? So sometimes sloths when
they're dispersing, so they've gone throughtheir natal home range, they've gotten to the

(36:17):
dispersal way, and so then that's when theyleave the natal range to go find somewhere
else for them to permanently live. Most mammalshave some sort of dispersal or animals in general
so that they don't accidentally inbreed withtheir relatives. Oh wait, their natal home
is their birth home area and then dispersingyou mean spreading out like they move out as

(36:39):
young adults kind of like humans. But when asloth does this it's the most dangerous time
in their life because they're going into a periodof food uncertainty and also in a human encroached
environment just general safety uncertainty.So when that happens, we get called out, we
rescue the sloth, and we notice that they'rereally dehydrated, really tired, and they have

(37:02):
a bunch of ticks. And when that happens, wegive them a few spa days because their immune
system is really depressed at that point. They'revery hungry. But after like three or four days
with us, they're ready to go. They just needlike a good meal, maybe help getting the ticks
off, and then we find them a really nice placeto live when we take them to a much better
forest than where they were found. So that'sthe best case scenario. The longest amount

(37:25):
of time we have sloths with us would be two-fingeredorphans because they take two years to fully
finish growing up and be released with us ifthey come in as a newborn. So, and three fingers
take about a year. In the wild with their mothers,it takes about half the time that it does with
us. So a three-fingered mom spends about a yearwith gestation and then post-birth time with

(37:50):
the baby. Two fingers, it's much longer. Sogestation for two fingers is 10 to 11 months,
even longer than us. And then they're with theirmom for a whole year after they're born. So
there's a lot of maternal investment with slothsand their moms. So for sure, the orphans are
with us the longest. Or somebody who's severelyelectrocuted, that can take maybe like six

(38:13):
months for, or broken limb, that takes a reallylong time to heal as well. Oh, ouch, poor sloths.
We're talking with Sam Trahl from the SlothInstitute in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica, and
you're listening to the Children's Hour. Inthe background, it's the Sunny Sloths song

(38:33):
by Monster Rally from Flowering Jungle. You'relistening to the Children's Hour. We're learning
about sloths today on the show. You can learnalong with us and learn even more or bring
the Children's Hour into the classroom. Thisepisode comes with a Learn Along Guide. It
meets and cites national education standardsand you can find it at childrenshour.org. Look

(38:57):
for this episode, Sloths. Let us know what youthink of the show while you're at our homepage.
We'd love to hear from you. We've got more withSam Troll from the Sloth Institute in Costa
Rica coming up right after this break. You'relistening to the Children's Hour Kids Public
Radio. We'll be right back. Thanks to the OutpostPerformance Space in Albuquerque, New Mexico

(39:23):
for hosting the Children's Hour. Support forthe Children's Hour is provided by United Way
of North Central New Mexico. Support providedby New Mexico Arts, a division of New Mexico
Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NationalEndowment for the Arts. Support provided by
the City of Albuquerque and the Urban EnhancementTrust Fund. Bernalillo County is a proud supporter

(39:44):
of The Children's Hour. Many thanks to the usersat tokenibus.org who direct funds to The Children's
Hour every week. This episode of The Children'sHour had special support from Sandia National
Laboratories.

(40:11):
Here's what I would be I would be a sleepy slothHanging from a tree I would yawn and I would
dream the hours away If I were an animal
If I were an animal for the day

(40:39):
Animal for the day is Penny Pom from Believein Your Magic. That's a little clip from it.
You're listening to the Children's Hour. I'mKatie Stone. We're on the line with Sam Troll
from the Sloth Institute located in Manuel AntonioCosta Rica. Sam, how do you feed all the sloths

(41:00):
in your care? One of our team members, the largechunk of his day is collecting leaves for the
sloths every single day because it takes a lotof time to kind of to collect enough food to
feed these guys and they're very picky eatersso you can't just collect anything. And then
we also try to collect a well-rounded diet sowe don't collect the same leaf every day and
there's a whole science behind feeding theseguys and that's certainly I think one of the

(41:23):
big pieces of why our program is so successfulis what we feed them. I liken them to Goldilocks
because the leaf can't be too young and it can'tbe too old it has to be just right. and you
can't give them the same leaf too many daysin a row or they stop liking it and they want
something different. And sloths would ratherstarve themselves than eat something they don't

(41:43):
want to eat. Like they don't just eat becausethey're starving and hungry. Like it has to
be the right thing. Like some of the leaf speciesthat they like, for example, are some things
that we know. So like two-fingered sloths, theylike the leaves from mango trees. They like
the leaves from bee chalmond trees. They likethe leaves from water apple trees. Three-fingered
sloths are really well known for eating thisone type of tree. It's Sacropia, but here the

(42:04):
local name is Guarumo. But for three-fingeredsloths, you cannot feed them anything that's
purchased from a grocery store. Like everythinghas to be collected from the wild. With two-fingered
sloths, they will eat some vegetables if needed,but that's not really the best thing for their
diet. So we only supplement their diet withveggies a little bit just to make sure that
they have all the right calories and things.Two-fingered sloths are slightly omnivorous.

(42:27):
So they can have... some animal matter, likein the wild, they'll actually collect and eat
bugs, like moths and things like that, and theycan eat eggs. But the vast majority of their
diets leaves. How long can a healthy sloth live?We don't really know exactly how long they
can live. In captivity, there's been some two-fingeredsloths that have lived into their 50s, but
three-fingered don't do well in captivity atall, so no one really knows how long they can

(42:50):
live. And they have a 31% slower metabolismthan two-fingered sloths. meaning there's a
decent chance they could live even longer thantwo-fingered sloths. But of course, in the
wild, they have to deal with predators, disease,especially in a human encroached environment.
So no one really knows exactly how long slothscan live in the wild, but for sure, multiple

(43:10):
decades at least. Are sloths social with eachother? They are pretty much solitary, but they
will interact, of course, with each other whenthey come across each other. They will. get
into arguments sometimes. The two-fingered malesespecially are extremely territorial and will

(43:30):
fight each other and their fights can look prettyscary. And pretty much the goal of a sloth
fight is to get the other sloth out of the treethat you're in. So they swat and they bite
each other's hands and feet and they just wantthe sloth to let go, the other sloth to let
go and get out of the tree. But three-fingeredsare much better at living in close proximity

(43:50):
to one another. They don't necessarily hangout or touch or anything like that, but it's
not uncommon to see a group of three-fingeredsin the same tree. So like multiple females
are usually good in the same tree together,but males again are very territorial. So multiple
males you wouldn't normally see, but we've definitelyseen like a group of females and one male hanging
out in a tree together. And hanging out is justmeans resting within a few meters of each other,

(44:15):
but that's about as social as they get. Butwhen you think about Slaus and their strategy
for survival in the forest, They can't reallyrisk being too social because social animals
are usually louder animals. Being gregariouscomes with making noise. And sloths survive
in the forest by being invisible and being quiet.More with Sam Trell from the Sloth Institute

(44:36):
based in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica in justa moment. You're listening to The Children's
Hour. Super slow sloth Hanging upside down Livingin the trees I like to party We are super slow

(44:59):
sloths Hangin' upside down Hanging upside down,living in the trees We like to party We are
super slow slugs Hanging upside down, livingin the trees We like to party We are super

(45:21):
slow slugs Hanging upside down, living in thetrees We like to party We are super slow slugs
Hanging upside down, living in the trees Welike to party We are super slow sloths Hanging
upside down, living in the trees We like toparty

(45:49):
That's super slow sloth by Hugo FM right hereon the Children's Hour. Sam Troll is with us
from the Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio CostaRica. They are a sloth rescue organization
that does so much more. And Amadeus has a questionfor you. What inspired you to become a sloth

(46:13):
expert? My background is all in primatology.My graduate work is in primatology. And I first
came to Costa Rica with the intention to workwith spider monkeys because I love spider monkeys,
they're really great. And I was volunteeringat a rescue center and they handed me a baby
sloth. And they literally said, don't get attached,but do whatever you need to do to keep the

(46:34):
sloth alive because they always die. And I waslike, okay. And I'd raised baby primates before
lemurs and various monkey species. So I just...treated the sloth like a baby primate, not
with the type of milk. Luckily I knew that,for example, they drink goat milk, but everything
else I pretty much had to figure out. And sothat baby sloth survived. And then the next

(46:54):
one, and then the next one, and then the nextone. And I knew that I was not going to leave
them in captivity for forever. That's not whyI woke up every two hours for two years raising
them. And so the sloth institute was reallybored out of the need to figure out how to
release hand raised orphan sloths. But of coursewe've grown from there. And There's still so

(47:14):
much more to learn and so many different waysthat sloths need to be saved and different
ways that sloths really need a champion becausetheir conservation is definitely not assured
yet. We're just about to end our time togetherwith you, Sam Troll. Thanks so much for being
on The Children's Hour. But before we go, forall of us listening across the world, what

(47:36):
can we do to support sloths in our own communities?I think one of the biggest things that anybody
can do from anywhere that they live is focuson being a responsible sloth tourist because
one of the big problems that sloths face allover the world and that includes in the US
at a lot of different captive facilities issloths are extremely popular and people want

(47:59):
to be close to them. They want to touch them,they want to take pictures with them. They
think that because they love sloths, they needto have these close encounters with them but
in actuality... that is a huge, huge problemfor wild sloths. Sloths are literally being
taken from the wild, purchased from the wildand brought to the US to be sold to lots of

(48:22):
little tiny private facilities where they'lloffer like, hold and feed this baby sloth or
take a picture with this baby sloth. So it'sreally, really important that tourists, even
in the US, do their research about where they'reseeing sloths in captivity. So like big zoos,
like San Diego Zoo, for example, is a greatplace to go and see all kinds of animals because

(48:42):
you know they're going to be well cared forand you know that they're accredited. Basically
any place that lets you get too close to thesloth probably does not have the sloth's best
interest in mind and has probably purchasedthat sloth from the wild. And then when you
go to visit sloths in places like Costa Rica,you also have to be careful with rescue centers,
places that pretend to be rescue centers, butreally they're just trying to collect animals

(49:05):
to have people come and see so they can makemoney. So it's just, sloths are really being
exploited for their cuteness and their popularity.And so it's just really important to be really
careful and cognizant as someone who loves slothsthat you're not paying for participating in
activities that actually hurt them.

(49:28):
That was Sam Trahl from the Sloth Institute.She spoke with us from Manuel Antonio Costa
Rica. We've got a link to their website andpictures of these adorable sloths that they
take care of at childrenshour.org. Look forthis episode, Sloths. There you'll also find
a Learn Along Guide that meets and cites nationaleducation standards. It's digital now, so you

(49:52):
don't need to print anything unless you wantto. Check it out at childrenshour.org slash
sloths.

(50:30):
It's over.
Moving slowly, killing softly The sloth is ananimal, knows how to chill Moving slowly, berries
clonely The sloth is an animal, hanging outin a tree Moving slowly, killing softly

(50:59):
flowers and leaves and eggs. You better run,you better beg. When the bees come.

(51:22):
A sloth is an animal, knows how to chill Movingslowly, very slowly A sloth is an animal, hanging
out in a tree Moving slowly, killing softlyA sloth is an animal, knows how to chill Moving
slowly, very slowly A sloth is an animal, hangingout in a tree Moving slowly, killing softly

(52:17):
He needs to find his way From the tree downthe meadow Because his pleasure can't stay
But he butting, needs to give it away Greatdrivers day, them hungry tans fray They might
be kept, they might flex, they fun to displayRing the alarm!

(52:44):
This is not the day
As long as an animal knows how to chill, Whoopis slowly burning slowly. As long as an animal

(53:08):
hanging out in a tree, Whoop is slowly killingsoftly. As long as an animal knows how to chill,
Whoop is slowly burning slowly. As long as ananimal hanging out in a tree, Whoop is slowly
killing softly.

(53:31):
Hang Out in Trees is the name of that band andthat's their sloth song. You're listening to
The Children's Hour, I'm Katie Stone. You canlearn more about sloths and see such cute pictures
and lots more at ChildrensHour.org. Look forthis episode, Sloths. Giant Paleolithic Megasloths

(53:55):
came up in our conversation recently about fossils.That was with La Brea Tar Pits, and there they
have found the Paleolithic sloths totally preserved.There have also been sloth footprints found
at White Sands National Monument, and there'sa story behind that where teenagers are chasing

(54:18):
a giant ground sloth. You can learn more aboutthat in our brief history of the American Southwest
for Kids series that's in episode one. You canfind all of this at childrenshour.org or reach
out to us. We'd love to hear from you. We'regoing to go out with one more. This is John

(54:39):
Long from John Long's Lost and Found with themean old root and ground sloth. And remember
they've been extinct for nearly 11,000 years.Thanks for listening to the Children's Hour.
We hope you enjoyed learning about sloths. We'llcatch you next time. Me no ruin ground's lost

(55:05):
Coming out late at night
In old Loon Grounds law bay Coming out
Better

(55:28):
Let me know when ground floor
Hey, guy, long shovel clawed.
to the shop.
Got long shovel claws, babe Also with Keithand Sean Now I'm gonna tell you Don't come

(56:01):
out in the daylight.
Bombs and-
You've got to be on your watch.

(56:28):
You better be on your watch.
Because he's prowling and he's hunting. Minarand ground sloth.

(56:58):
Children's Hour is produced by The Children'sHour Incorporated, a New Mexico non-profit.
You can find photos, links, learn-along guides,and more about us at ChildrensHour.org. Many
thanks to George N. Irvine from the San DiegoZoo and Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute.
Our Learn Along Guide was written by LorraineArchibald and our senior producer is Christina

(57:20):
Stella. We had production help on today's showfrom Daniel Lentz. Find our podcast wherever
you listen to podcasts or go to our patreon.comslash the Children's Hour. Or ask your smart
speaker to play the Children's Hour podcast.We post our photos and more on Instagram and
Facebook. Find us at TCH Radio. Our theme musicwas written by C.K. Barlow. The Children's

(57:45):
Hour is distributed by Native Voice One, theNative American Radio Network. Thanks for listening
to the Children's H- Kids Public Radio.