Spatial ecology and conservation of two sloth species in a cacao landscape in limón, Costa Rica

Abstract

The spatial ecology of sloths was studied in an agricultural landscape in Limón Province, Costa Rica. Two sloth species, the three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and the two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), actively used and traveled through a cacao agroforest and its contiguous living fence rows and riparian forests. This agroecosystem was embedded in an agricultural landscape dominated by banana and pineapple plantations and pastures with dispersed trees. The two-toed sloth (C. hoffmanni) was found in 101 tree species and used 34 for food; the three-toed sloth (B. variegatus) was found in 71 tree species and used 15 for food. Choice of preferred species differed between the two sloth species. Trees commonly used by sloths for food and/or refuge in the cacao agroforest included Erythrina poeppigiana, Cecropia obtusifolia, Leucaena leucocephala; in the living fence rows, Cordia alliodora, Erythrina poeppigiana, Ocotea sinuata and Trophis racemosa; in the riparian forests, Coussapoa villosa, Cecropia obtusifolia, Hura crepitans, Pterocarpus officinalis and Spondias mombin; and in the pastures with dispersed trees, Cordia alliodora, Coussapoa villosa, Erythrina poeppigiana, Ocotea sinuata and Hura crepitans. This study demonstrates the importance of the cacao agroforest as well as arboreal elements in other land uses in providing resources for sloth conservation in a larger agricultural landscape.

Towards a standard framework to describe behaviours in the common-sloth (Bradypus variegatus Schinz, 1825): novel interactions data observed in distinct fragments of the Atlantic forest, Brazil

“…Although these records indicate a gregarious social system, probably it is not optional, but mandatory due to the confinement of animals to small forested patches. Gregarious behaviours, both in Costa Rica and Colombia, were recorded in humanized habitats (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Vaughan et al, 2007), and densities up to 17 ind/ha can be inferred from previous observations in public gardens and municipal squares (Manchester and Jorge, 2009; Moraes-Barros, pers. obs.…”

“…Ballesteros et al, 2009;Consentino, 2004;Mendel, 1985;Queiroz, 1995;Urbani and Bosque, 2006;Vaughan et al, 2007). So, as stated in the Methodology section, we have chosen a list of behaviour categories that had considered previous behaviour description on common sloth (Urbani and Bosque, 2006).…”

“…Previously reported interactions between common sloth individuals only concerned antagonistic behaviour between males (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Consentino, 2004;Greene, 1989); reproductive means (Bezerra et al, 2008) and tree sharing between individuals of different genders (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Vaughan et al, 2007) or females (Consentino, 2004). The common sloth II initially stretched its head towards the sloth I suggesting that scent was used to recognize the other individual.…”

“…Life in the trees' canopy, their slow and silent movements, together with a camouflaged pelage makes sloths extremely difficult to be observed in nature. Consequently, although the common sloth's widespread distribution (Moraes-Barros et al, 2010), few ecological studies were made so far (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Consentino, 2004;Queiroz, 1995;Soares and Carneiro, 2002;Urbani and Bosque, 2006;Vaughan et al, 2007), and basic ethological data are barely understood. For instance, reproductive means were only reported once (Bezerra et al, 2008), more descriptive parental care three times (Bezerra et al, 2008;Soares and Carneiro, 2002;Pinheiro, 2008), and territorial occupancy is unclear (Bezerra et al, 2008;Hayssen, 2010;Lara-Ruiz and Srbeck-Araujo, 2006).…”

“…Even this mammal's social system is controversial. Although it is mostly described as being solitary (reviewed by Hayssen, 2010), and interactions between adult common sloth individuals have been only occasionally reported (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Bezerra et al, 2008;Consentino, 2004;Greene, 1989;Lara-Ruiz and SrbeckAraujo, 2006;Vaughan et al, 2007), these animals can be quite gregarious (Ballesteros et al, 2009;Vaughan et al, 2007). Also they were reported to occur in several small confined areas, such as public gardens and municipal squares (Consentino, 2004;Manchester and Jorge, 2009;Pinheiro, 2008;Ramos et al, 2007), and even share trees with other sloth's species (Sunquist and Montgomery, 1973;Vaughan et al, 2007).…”