Tayra (Eira barbara) predation of a brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) in Costa Rica

Abstract

Being strictly arboreal, sloths become more vulnerable to predation when on the ground. Records of such predation, however, are rare. Here we present video documentation of a tayra (Eira barbara) preying on a juvenile brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) in Barbilla National Park, Costa Rica. Tayras and other ground predators, plus human activities such as habitat fragmentation, are probably major factors influencing sloth life history and permanence in the ecosystem. Predation by tayras might be more common than we think, particularly in disturbed forests.