photos of the sloth i saw today

[Gato Moteado]

i posted videos earlier today and they can be seen here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5935957

but i had a request to post the still shots that i took, so here are several:

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth01.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth02.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth03.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth04.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth05.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth06.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth07.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth08.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth09.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth10.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth11.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/g138/GatoMoteado/sloth12.jpg

[crim son]

1. I saw sloths in Costa Rica too!

I love those critters. Hey, do you have howler monkeys too?

[Gato Moteado]

2. we have lots of howler monkeys here!

i see them from time to time.

[crim son]

8. That's what I thought.

I was the typical tourist in... was it Manuel Antonio National Park? Anyway, I was walking through the jungle with two of my sisters and we heard the most horrifying screaming/roaring sound. I guess you know what I'm talking about. We guessed it was a howler monkey but that was not confirmed by anybody we spoke with. They sound like a demon would sound, if there were such things.

[Gato Moteado]

18. yeah those were probably howlers

they are loud!

[bigwillq]

3. Photo doesn't work

I see only a red x. :( NO sloth. :cry:

[Gato Moteado]

4. try reloading....

...i see them ok on my end.

[bigwillq]

7. I see them now!

:bounce:

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Those photos are all upside down...

:P

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. He's sort of oddly cute.

I didn't know sloths had such big noses.

[Gato Moteado]

10. we have ocelots down here too!

and other spotted cats! ;)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Doesn't your name mean "spotted cat"?

I wish we had ocelots. But we do have the occasional cougar.

[Gato Moteado]

19. yes, it does mean spotted cat

you see cougars in minnesota?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Occasionally.

A few have been seen in wooded areas in the Minneapolis suburbs in the last few years. Nobody is sure whether they just migrated there from the north or if they escaped from captivity, but a few have been sighted from time to time. There are a lot of deer near the Mississippi River for them to eat. Bears and coyotes are a lot more common here, though; and there are wolves in the north woods.

No sloths, though. Except for me.

[Gato Moteado]

30. ah, they're probably coming down from canada then

i've only seen one cougar in the wild and that was in texas. i spent 4 years searching in the miami everglades but never saw one there.

[zanne]

27. Isn't he?

I didn't know sloths were cute.

[Shakespeare]

9. OMG I love those critters.

So gentle.

Wonderful pictures, Gato--thanks for sharing!

[sugar magnolia]

12. Very cool!

Thanks for sharing those!

[GoneOffShore]

13. A Bradypus or Sloth am I

I live a life of ease,
Contented not to do or die
But idle as I please;
I have three toes on either foot
Or half-a-doe on both;
With leaves and fruits and shoots to eat
How sweet to be a Sloth.

The world is such a cheerfull place
When viewed from upside down;
It makes a rise of every fall,
A smile of every frown;
I watch the fleeting flutter by
Or butterfly or moth
And think of all the things I'd try
If I were not a Sloth.

I could climb the very highest Himalayas,
Be among the greatest ever tennis players,
Always win at chess or marry a princess or
Study hard and be an eminent professor,
I could be a millionaire, play the clarinet,
Travel everywhere,
Learn to cook, catch a crook,
Win a war, then write a book about it,
I could paint a Mona Lisa,
I could be another Caesar,
Compose an oratorio that was sublime:
The doors not shut
On my genius but
I just don't have the time!

For days and days among the trees
I sleep and dream and doze,
Just swaying gently in the breeze
Suspended by my toes;
While eager beavers overhead
Rush through the undergrowth,
I watch the clouds beneath my feet—
How sweet to be a Sloth.

From "The Bestiary of Flanders and Swann"
Music and Lyrics by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann

[Gato Moteado]

20. nice!

i had never heard that one. i like it!

[TangoCharlie]

14. Still shots?

With a sloth, how can you tell the difference between a "still" shot and an "action" shot? :)

Anyway, great pictures. Zoom lens? Or were you standing that close?

[Gato Moteado]

21. i was two feet away taking those shots.

he was close to the ground so i got right up to him.

[Kali]

15. Those are so cool! Thanks for doing that!

I got about 8 seconds of one of your videos and knew the photos would be great. I am sure the videos are great too! I saw it chew for a few bites before the stupid computer quit. I have seen film of them before, but not feeding - and was surprised that the movement of its jaws was actually pretty fast. And the nose! It sure is a wet pig looking thing, I was thinking it would be more like an otter's nose.

Sloths are fascinating. Can you imagine the Pleistocene giants? There have been fossils of them found around where I live (San Pedro Valley, SE AZ), in fact I think they found one in Kartchner Caverns too.

Thanks again, Gato!

[BarenakedLady]

16. Awesome!

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

17. Very cool pics... did you use a tripod, or is it just me

that takes 90 % blurry pictures? :P Awesome shots Gato.

[Gato Moteado]

22. no tripod.....

if you're getting blurry photos and don't want to use a tripod, get a camera that lets you control the exposure and use faster shutter speeds. or use a flash. that should help you eliminate blurriness.

[myrna minx]

23. Oh! He is so adorable!

:loveya:

[Gato Moteado]

25. i hope i get another chance to be that close to one soon.....

....when i have my good camera with me.

[jobycom]

26. Pretty darned cute for being one of the Seven Deadly Sins! nt

[Gato Moteado]

31. i saw him again today......

...or at least i think it was the same one. he was in a tree very close to where i saw him on monday. he was too high up to get close though.

[YankeyMCC]

28. Beautiful thx as always Gato nt

[Gato Moteado]

29. glad you dig it!

i'm heading up into the mountain for a morning stroll here shortly......i'll post pics or vids if i see anything of interest.