In Search of the Sloth

Creepy crawly.
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After viewing all the beautiful wildlife of Costa Rica's North Lowlands and Caribbean coast I still had yet to see a Sloth. So on the second of the last day of my trip I decided to embark on a very long hike along the beach of Playa Cocles to seek out a Sloth sighting. I decided to hike South from the beach of Playa Cocles and I quickly realized what a great choice I had made. The Coral Reef that hugs this particular section of coastline is a remarkable sight to see. I weaved in and out of the warm blue water and plush dense forest during this trek. I was able to spot a very big Coastal Falcon/Eagle in which I was unable to identify. Also a swarm of spiders-possibly related to the daddy long leg family-only by pure accident as I reached out for a tree limb and it came alive from all the creepy crawleys. Many Herons were out along the Coral reefs taking advantage of feeding on all the fish that surfaced the ocean.

Interesting pattern on the back.
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Once I hit about six miles I decided to head back to the Resort. My legs started to burn from working overtime walking in the sand. The feeling of disappointment was setting in and I was staring to believe my much anticipated Sloth sighting was becoming very unlikely. It really became apparent when I started walking up the entrance to the Resort off the main road.

But suddenly as  I came around the first corner a small group of people were pointing and staring into a open pasture. Low and behold a three-toed sloth was slowly creeping across the grassy meadow. I could not believe the luck of timing. After hiking 12 miles in search to see a sloth I finally got to see a Sloth 100yds from my Bungalow. The Sloth completely lived up to it's mysterious personality. Everything about the land mammal was slow, creepy, and fastinating. This bizarre being had green moss growing on it's furry thick coat making it look like an alien from another planet. I felt this experience was a nice closure to all my recent treks into the rainforest. It was a great feeling to see such an amazing animal up close and I'll definitely never forget this experience.