Spontaneous ingestion of water by a free-ranging maned sloth, Bradypus torquatus, in the Ibura National Forest, northeastern Brazil

What is it about?

Arboreal folivore - mammals, for instance - have metabolic water as an important water source, compensating for the absence of free-water sources. That makes the free-water ingestion a rare event. Here we report the first observed event of water ingestion by a maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) in a free-ranging condition. The maned sloth is an obligate arboreal mammal that feeds mostly on mature leaves, with no recorded event of water ingestion in any previous behavioural ecology research. Records of water ingestion by captive individuals, nonetheless, leave doubts regarding the absence of field observations. The current report presents data on some field characteristics that may influence the occurrence and frequency of water ingestion, as well as research observations. The long-term behavioural and ecological monitoring of the sloth may help to understand the patterns of rare and subtle behaviours.

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Why is it important?

The first record of spontaneous water dinking of free-ranging animals (sloth) in the wild.

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