Endangered Sloth Populations: Numbers At A Glance

While the iconic image of the sloth, slowly going about its day in the canopy, may be the only image conjured up when you hear about the sloth, there are actually many, diverse kinds of sloth. Each of these species have their own unique habitat, characteristics, and conservation status. In total, there are two different types of sloth, the two-toed and three-toed sloths, and then six different species of sloth. To give you an idea of the diversity and particular situations of each of these sloths, here are some of their numbers at a glance.

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered 

Current Population: Less than 100

Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat: Only on the Isla Escudo de Veraguas

This little guy is the smallest of the sloths, and wasn’t recognized as a distinct species until 2001. The Pygmy three-toed sloth lives most of its life in the mangrove trees of the Isla Escudo de Veraguas, which is a small island off the coast of Panama. Because its habitat is so small, any loss of this crucial habitat can be deeply detrimental. Overall, its main threats are tourism, hunting, and logging.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Current Population: Unknown

Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat: Atlantic coast of Brazil

The largest of the sloth species, the Maned three-toed sloth spends much of its life upside down -- its fur even grows in the opposite direction of that of most other mammals because of its life upside down. Because their habitat is restricted only to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, much of their conservation status comes from the loss of this habitat. The forest in this region of Brazil, where this sloth resides, has shrunk to 10% of its original size due to also being in the most highly populated region of Brazil. 

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Current Population: Unknown

Population Trend: Unknown, but presumed to be stable

Habitat: Forests of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Eastern Venezuela, and Northern Brazil

Much like other sloths, when spotted, the Pale-throated sloth can sometimes have a greenish tint to its fur: this is algae! This can sometimes provide camouflage from predators. The Pale-throated sloth also has one of the slowest rates of digestion, because leaves must first ferment in its gut before digestion. There are currently no known threats to this sloth, as it has one of the most pristine habitats.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Current Population: Unknown 

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat: Forests of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, and Eastern Peru.

Despite its title as a “Brown-throated sloth,” its fur can be tinted with green or blue due to algae. Much like the Pale-throated sloth, its population is generally stable and distributed across many countries. That being said, there are a few threats that the Brown-throated sloth is facing, such as habitat loss from agriculture, roads, and railroads, and then hunting and trapping.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Current Population: Unknown

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat: Forests Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and possibly Bolivia

Known for its longer fur, its propensity to remain motionless for long periods, and its two, webbed toes on its front paws, Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth is largely nocturnal and solitary. Partially due to its habitat, it is of least concern and has no known threats.s

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Current Population: Unknown

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat: (1) Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, (2) Eastern Peru, Western Brazil, and Northern Bolivia

Hoffman’s two-toed sloth is one of the only sloth species to have two, discontinuous populations, with either one being separated by the Andes mountain range. Given that they are relatively spread out, their habitat has yet to be reduced to the levels seen with the Pygmy three-toed sloth or the Maned three-toed sloth.

What can be done?

While only two out of the six species of sloth are considered vulnerable or endangered, this does not mean that no action should be taken. In fact, the lessons learned from the habitat loss of the Pygmy three-toed sloth and the Maned three-toed sloth speak to the need to secure the already existing habitats of the sloths of least concern. It is no secret that deforestation has been on the rise in the Amazon Rainforest, actions must be taken swiftly to ensure that these species of sloths stay protected.

Additionally, because of the lack of information regarding the populations of sloths, it can be difficult to properly protect these animals. When you ask “how many sloths are left in the world,” it can be difficult to get an exact number, making it even harder to determine what actions need to be taken.