How many sloths are left in the world?

According to a 2012 study by the Zoological Society of London, there are likely fewer than 100 pygmy three-toed sloths remaining in the wild. The population census was conducted during a nine-day expedition to Escudo Island, the only place in the world the species is found.

Roughly the size of a newborn human baby, the pygmy three-toed sloth is the smallest and slowest of sloths in the world. Not recognized as a distinct species until 2001, the pygmy is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Their demise is attributed to the destruction of the mangrove forests on their island off the coast of Panama.